Ashes
by Blazeraptor54
Summary: Madara Uchiha was a man who felt pain most of his life, his brother dying, his clan banishing him. On the day he tried to stop the hatred, and well rip it out. He was killed in the attempt, but a piece of him lives on. Almost a hundred years later, a boy by the name Naruto Uzumaki witnesses tragedy on his graduation day, sending him face to face, with his very much living past.
1. Proluge: Fall of Madara

"Hashrima!"

"Madara!"

The sound of metal, and metal clashing filled a lone forest of broken trees, there two men, both godlike in stature fight. The man wearing a red samurai like armor, formed two fingers over his mouth, and blew a massive torrent of fire. The man with brown hair, wearing a brown version of samurai armor raised his hands.

A dome of wood rose from the ground, and encased him in a turtle like shell, as the fire burnt holes, he locked eyes with his foe.

_Long ago, time, and time again. Humanity fought each other, and clashed. They were war like animals, always wanting each other's lands, and resources. They fought these wars, until one day a woman walked towards their shore. _

"I cannot allow this "brother" please, get out of my way!" The man in the red armor stated, he grabbed a large fan, which was attached to his back. He watched as the brown haired man in front of him dropped into a fighting stance, grabbing a sword as he did so. "I cannot allow this Madara, please don't make me fight you like this."

"We all knew this was coming, it was fated, and now fate is decided onto who can dance the best. Come my so called brother in arms, we have a little war to start here, this valley shall bare our scars, and hatred." Madara exclaimed, clapping both his hands together.

_She took power, forbidden, and used it quell the human race. She was a goddess, a beauty among the human tribes of old. She was called the Rabbit Goddess, and with her rise into godhood. She stopped wars, and bore two princes. _

"**Fire style fire ball jutsu!" **

"**Wood style earthly call!"**

Madara blew a massive torrent of flame from his mouth, enough to immediately consume a small house. He watched as branches emerged from the ground, blocking the massive fire ball. He frowned, and smiled as he slung his fan back, and to. The massive wind blast adding fuel to the flames, "Burn." He merely stated.

The branches began to crumble away, but too his own surprise he watched as a massive dragon made of water rose up from the ground, he growled out as he was force to elegantly dodge the massive elemental attack. He spun on the ground as he landed, and slung the fan. Creating a tornado, before blowing a torrent of fire into it. **"Scorch style searing calling gale!" **

Hashirama, the man simply slammed his hands into the ground, a massive wall of earth rose. Blocking the would be fatal attack, stopping it dead in it's tracks. But, the wall itself had suffered some damage, it was even molten slag on the side it got hit.

Madara eyes began to bleed as he focused on it, and called out his card. **"Ameterasu!" **The man behind the wall, quickly formed earth around his body, and sunk into the ground. A massive gout of fire that was painted black hit the wall, bursting it into searing jet black flames. Madara held up his hands, slowly making them rise.

As he did, the wall melted, and turned to obsidian. He smirked, thinking he had just proven a point. However, his instincts told him jump, so he did. He watched as a branch rose from the ground where he once stood.

"Such a dirty trick, Hashirama, who knew you would be a trickster?" He stated sarcastically. He watched as the branch split off, and frowned. He grabbed shaft of the fan, and pulled.

_The two princes were forced to fight against a wrathful being, who rose in opposition against the rabbit goddess, she had to watch on as her sons fought the beast, and had been pleased when they had won out. She however, was force to bury her first born, leaving the younger alive. _

_He too had two sons, naming them Ashura, and Indra. They grew up together, played together, and even with their father's beasts, which he had made after splitting apart the wrathful being. However, paradise was lost. He was dying._

The fan split into a Kusanagi, which he used too cut the branches apart, and flew in between them. Making his way to the now emerging man. He was about to strike when he felt something grab him, he looked to see a lone branch wrapped around his leg. "Lucky..." He stated, not being able to finish as he was thrown.

He managed to level his body, and stick the obsidian wall he created, he made rapid movements with hands. He took a deep breach, and smirked as he released a massive gout of flame, not at the man. But, at the ground below. Hashirama watched as it spilled over the forest floor. Flowing right for him.

He too formed almost the same hand signs, and shot water from his mouth, flooding the area he was once standing on. It was a clash, of rival natures, so similar. The water pushed back the flames, but Madara smiled as he formed several more hand seals. He then grabbed the fan, and as water began to rise, he launched a massive gust of wind.

The water shot out, forming small harden pellets. **"Ice art harden water scatter shot!" **Hashirama pulled a massive wooden wall from the ground, which barely blocked the massive amount of harden water. "So...since we did you find a way to bypass bloodlines?" Hashirama asked, he was impressed.

Madara could only smirk, and landed on the water. He spun around once, but winds began to form around his fan, Hashirama launched a massive barrage of wooden pellets. Which Madara blew away as he slung his arm forward, once again creating a massive twister.

The water, and branches around them got swept up. "Now, the arena is truly in play, let us dance...Hashirama." He said charging, the man wearing the same armor only nodded. He ran towards Madara, both launched a flurry of attacks, all of which were either blocked, deflected. No solid blow, or even a single hit.

Madara used his fan to block the sword, and his legs to block Hashirama's kicks. His red eyes, with three tomoe spinning wildly, tracking, learning, and figuring ways to counter. He saw an opening, and sprang off the ground with one leg. He turned on his side, and delivered a nasty dragon kick across his rivals back. Sending him the whirlwind of water, Madara increased the wind speed as he eyes shifted, and spread out his hands.

"May the gods help you find peace...**Theme of the three Koto children!" **He stated as black flames mixed with the water, and wind in the whirlwind. However, he was stun to see it go out, and Hashirama land on the ground in front of him.

His face had changed to have red paint, and red eyes. He slammed his palm into the ground, making massive boulders fly out. Which he kicked towards Madara, who watched as the the massive rocks flew towards him.

"**Susano~o" **

_Indra had betrayed their father, killing him on his death bed as he was not chose to lead the peace, instead his brother was. He would later form a clan, known as the Uchiha, and give them vast power with his eyes. _

_Ashura would form a chain clans, and teach them to use their own power, respect each other. Believing that he could try to find a way to end the conflict, before it ever began. _

A massive purple being arose around Madara, each hand had a sword, and two sets arms. He spun around, making the being cut through the rocks, and sent the last one into the ground as message. "You will not stand in God's way, please move aside brother." Hashirama charged at Madara, each step leaving a hole in solid earth. Madara watched as three more of his rival formed from the branches.

"Clones...fine, let it be a true war!" The clones jumped into the air, launching themselves at Madara. Whom managed to block their strikes with his ethereal swords, but the Original dodged the last one, and managed to punch straight through his ethereal warrior's rib cage. He caught the fist just in time, a fatal hit would have ensured if he had not.

Hashirama, just growled as he brought his face closer to his rival's. Madara eyes flickered again, a massive torrent of flames rose where he had held Hashirama. "Sorry old friend, it's over...rest in peace." He then felt something hit his side, and sent him out of his warrior. Skidding across the ground, and into the volcanic glass wall.

Hashirama stood there, as the warrior faded, and smirked as the clone of himself dissolved into wooden dust. He watched as Madara got up, and he was livid. His eyes glowed in the dark confines of the glass, his body armor, the only thing saving him. He got out of the glass, and ripped it off.

On his stomach was a seal, loosely based off one Hashirama knew all too well. "Where did you learn my wives sealing jutsu!" He demanded, the Uchiha just smirked as he focused. The seal traveled up his body, and soon a faint yellow light began to form around him.

"Harishima, I am the son of both an Uchiha, and a Uzumaki. Mito was incline to help a kinsmen...so I let her teach me a little trick, care to take guess on what's sealed within me?" The man could only harden his gaze at a once old friend, "Kyuubi..."

The man nodded, his eyes became slitted, and a even dark crimson. The color pallet swapped, and black replaced most of his eye, and the red the design. The yellow light flowed over him, and he dashed. Leaving behind a yellow streak as he did, Hashirama barely was able to counter a Kusangai attack, and sliced the chain away.

He was stunned to see Madara suddenly flash away, and appear onto the tallest portion of the glass, and formed back his ethereal warrior. The warrior, however, had a more animal like appearance too it, and only one face. It had clawed hands now, and looked more liquid, and solid. Madara walked slowly towards Hashirama, whom had realized the man had to slow down.

He watched as the beast formed armor around it, and rose up off the ground on two legs. "So you created a newer version the Tatsu seal?" The man below asked, the man above him inside the beast's head just smiled as a sword formed to it's side. "Behold my brother, **Nine tailed Susano~o" **

Hashirama slammed his hands into the ground, a massive statue arose. It had at least a hundred arms on each side, and began to engage the beast. Who's blade got trapped by several hands, and only had it's massive claws to guard with. Madara was not pleased, but smirked. It was made of wood, and...wood burned quite well.

The man jumped out of the beast's head, forming two chakra hands with one palm, and focused his eyes on it. **"Tailed beast art Ameterasu scorching wind!" **He blew into it, releasing black flames from his mouth. Hashirama acted quickly, and gave the statue some swords made of water, which he then used to block the massive scattered wind of black flame.

_The war they caused, and it only led to more death. Until Madara, and Hashirama formed a non aggression pact, what should have been the greatest moment of Madara's life, was only tarnished when his clan was bitter at him, and banished him. _

Madara landed on the ground, and charged Hashirama, who jumped off the statue. He cocked his fist back, as did Madara. When they collided the ground cratered under their combine power, and Hashirama was pushed back, but smirked as he placed a seal on Madara. Whose shock realized what it was, and felt his Kyuubi chakra drain away. "Sneaky bastard..." He muttered. Tearing it off, but the damage was done as the cloak disappeared.

"Madara you can't just destroy your own clan, stop this now, I understand how you feel."

"You understand nothing, your now royalty, and you ran with it."

"I did...I was a buffoon Madara, but please, look at what your doing."

"I'm going to rip away the cancer that has plagued my clan for eons!"

Madara shouted to the top of his lungs as he forced the Kyuubi chakra to enter his body once more, but the seal broke as he did. The giant beast formed as an ethereal cloud at first, but formed fully. Madara only smiled as he made eye contact with, but mouthed a simple sentence "I'm sorry Kyuubi-chan." The massive beast eyes turned to Madara's.

The man threw up some blood, making himself look pale, but he smiled as he watched the beast lower it's head. Hashirama was stunned as Madara climbed onto the head, formed armor around it, "How did you tame it? Even the Uzumaki clan, my wife's clan can not do it!" Madara simply just smiled, and petted one of the beast's massive ears.

Madara turned to Hashirama, "She will assist me in burning away the hatred, one village at time...no one will stop me, not even you. Not even my own kin!" He shouted, the beast roared as it did, making the ground collapse. A red hair woman landed by Harishima, and brought along several men in mask.

"Hashi-kun, are you hurt!" She asked, concerned, but turn to see Madara crossed arm riding the beast. His stomach had black blood seeping out of it, he had just done something Mito taught him never to do. "You forced open the seal...didn't you..." She muttered, Madara's keen ears caught.

"Yes, and Mito...please step aside, I have a villages to eradicate!"

"No, tell me why Madara, you know we were fighting to have you back in the village as a member of my clan!"

"It's too late for that cousin, I'll never look at your husband, or that bastard village the same again. I have enough hatred for the entire system as it is...the way you even treat poor Akahana Mito...I am ashamed to call you cousin."

"The Kyuubi is just feeding you lies Madara, listen to me, it's just wanting your power!" Madara just scoffed, "she can have all she wants, besides she's been more than generous with hers." The beast mewled under the dodging of Madara, who gave it's ear a soft kiss.

"She's been more kind, and loving...than even my own mother. My own father...now, realize our power." He stated the beast focused immediately, and roared once more. Madara laughed as it charged down the people who tried to talk him down, and even jumped into the chaos, the Kyuubi sent some of it's chakra into him.

The once yellow light had turned red, and he smiled deviously as he ran down several of the mask man with a sword Hashirama had dropped. He slashed, and hacked away as more masked men came out of the wood work. "Kyuubi-chan" He sang, "Unleash your power!"

No sooner than Madara said these words, the beast roared slashing against the earth. Madara laughed as he slashed down the final idiot who dared challenge the pair, and now charged towards Mito, only to be blocked by a white haired man. "Tobirama, the prodigal fan of mine..." He said sarcastically, the white hair man simply kicked across the ground.

He helped his brother to his feet, and they stood together.

Madara growled out, and resorted to just burning the area around them with black flames, but he watched as the second of the brothers launched a massive torrent of water, and snuffed out his fire. Madara charged the pair, slashing with his fan, and Katana. Hashirama, and Tobirama grabbed both arms together, and kicked Madara into the black flame he created.

Madara screamed in pain as the flames burned him, but he got back up. Making them disappear off him, and just glared at the duo, he was now outmatched. He looked to see Kyuubi create a water fall, and smiled. "It would seem that your wife is now having trouble keeping up with Akahana."

"Who is this Akahana, is she your lover or something?" Madara just blinked, was the first elect to the lead a village this dumb, and he just smirked. He charged at them again, but stopped when he heard a pain eagle like screech, he looked to see an ethereal like being grabbing his Kyuubi-chan, he moved to engage immediately, but was stopped by Hashirama, and Tobirama who both attacked him.

Madara felt two swords enter his body, and saw the Kyuubi look at him. A single tear left both their eyes as he fell backwards, right into a now rushing torrent of water. The Kyuubi began to shrink down as it's chakra slowly began wavier, and soon it was nothing more than a red headed woman. Laying defeated on the ground. She was breathing heavy, and everyone looked shocked.

She was in fact Akahana, the one Madara had talked about, and that was not the most shocking part. She was heavily pregnant.

"Hashirama, kill it, come brother we can't let any of his spawn into the world."

"No...there has been enough death...detain her Mito, make sure she cannot escape."

The second red hair woman nodded, and placed seals on the woman, before picking her up, and held Tobi's shoulder as they all flashed away from the scene, the last thing the Kyuubi could mutter was simple phrase used my many children.

"Ashes..."


	2. Birth of the sun

_**Ashes**_

_**Chapter one: Birth of the sun.**_

_**Konoha, market district, October seventh.**_

A yellow haired man was walking with a red haired woman, she was heavily pregnant with the man's child. They stood on the bridge, where the man had first talk to her, asked her out, and even kissed her. She looked inside the peddle filled water, where she finally turned to the man.

"Can't believe in just three short days I'll be a mother Minato-Kun." She said, a dream like look on her face. She turned to see the blue eyed yellow haired man, he had whisker marks on his face. A apparent birth mark of some sort, or even clan Mark. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around the woman.

He rubbed her stomach, eliciting a joyful sigh from her, "Do you think that Naruto will be the right name for him?" She asked, Minato shrugged, and brought her closer. "It's what ever you want it to be Kushina-hime. You are my akahana." She smiled at the comment, and then frowned.

"Minato, will they accept him...and you, after all our team, and Jiraiya-sama are the only ones that know." She explained her worry look, Minato nodded silently, he looked towards the blood red sun. He then looked towards Kushina, and smiled.

"When that time comes, I'll be there to help him, and I'll always be here for you." She leaned into him, kissing him with passion, on the shadowed grounds, one was of a woman, but the other was a man with one long tail stretching, wrapping itself around the woman.

"I don't want him to feel like a freak, or ever be treated differently." Kushina said, as she broke the kiss. Minato frowned slightly, he rubbed her back.

"Kushina, you know I can't promise that, in reality...life will be hard for him. He'll be different, more than likely he'll be like me. Though if he came out with red hair...He'd be a lady killer." Minato jibed, getting a love tap from Kushina.

He looked at their reflections in the water, he saw a little boy standing by him. He smiled, letting a lone tear shed from his right. He thought back to a time, where it all started, his love for Kushina being shared, his unlocking of his bloodline.

"_Kushina...you were always there by me, and I'll always be there for you both. I'll never let you two go, never ever. I love him even now, I would not care if he was a full human, or like me. I'd protect, teach, and nurture him." _Minato said mentally, stroking his wife's back. She leaned against him.

_**Thirteen years ago, Konoha, Irakami forest**_

A younger Minato, wearing a fox mask was already in hot pursuit. The war had came early in Konoha, a secret stealth team of Iwagakure, and Kumogakure forces had made their way into the village, kidnapping it's Jinchuuriki. One Kushina Uzumaki, and too say he was livid would be an understatement.

You see Minato was a calm man, no doubt it would take ALOT to anger him to the point of retaliation. But, taking away a person he considered precious, or even threating their life. Yep, that pretty much put you on the world's smallest shit list quick. Which the entirety of Kumo, and Iwa had just landed themselves in. Namely though, the people who have her now, and their Kage. Indeed Minato was livid.

He was dashing, trying to catch up to the men that had taken her. He felt sorry for actually fighting with her earlier that day, over a secret he was hiding. In reality, he was a young man of many secrets.

The fact he had a seal matrix to hide what he REALLY looked like was one of them, and it would probably give the poor girl a heart attack, but she's seen once before. Just, he never got caught enough for her to guess who he was. After all, Minato had yellow hair, and blue eyes. No one would ever think that a tailed man with black hair, and red eyes would be his double.

No one at all, save the Hokage, and his master. He was forced to come clean to his second teammate, after she had stated she had knew because of his scent. Tsume was indeed, a very special tracker, probably the best one ever.

All this in mind, he had planned on meeting her tonight, and telling her everything. But, that was going on hold for a little bit. For now, his main goal was to save her, feelings would come later. His senses flooded with movement ahead of him, smells of copper, steel, and poisons. He growled out, there was at least five of them, judging by their smells. Kushina had even gave them a little bit of fight, and Minato would be more than glad to finish it.

That's when he saw his marker, the sign that he was close to her. One strain of beautiful bright red hair flowing softly in the wind, almost hitting the ground. He blew past it, he was close, it only just fell a few seconds ago. That's when he saw a faint five figure team, and went into action

He took out his kunai, throwing it clear across the forest clearing. The men in front of him, seeing the kunai fly. They looked back at him, one of the larger ones spoke. "Shit an ANBU already?!" He screamed out, Minato smirked under his mask. So they thought he was ANBU, a misconception of fear basis. He would play on it.

The boy disappeared in a yellow flash, appearing in front of them. He watched as they came to a stop, he stood there. Arms to his sides, his eyes shining a dark blue inside the mask. Though they were slitted, giving indication of building rage.

"So someone came for you demon, guess you should be happy." Kushina looked up, having a tough time, but when she caught sight of him. She was filled with hope, it was Minato, he actually chased them down. That's when she heard his voice, and noticed the lively cheerful voice was dead.

"Let down my friend, or I'll cut you all down..." Minato stated, he took out a kunai, removing his mask. Kushina's mouth opened slightly, on his face was three whisker marks on each side. He watched as two of the men walked up, both holding swords in each hand.

"So, it seems a children wearing ANBU masks thank they can defeat a Jonin." The lead man of the two sword wielding giants, he looked up at them. His eyes cold as steel, "I'm not afraid of you." If Kushina had knew better she had known Minato was a pacifist.

He never took money from others.

He freed several captive Ninja at one point, based on his word alone.

He never fought, unless he needed to.

He most certainly got scared easily, especially at the mention of ghosts.

This was not the same Minato, this was someone else, someone Kushina did not know. She watched as the one lead man charged towards the 'helpless' boy that was her friend. She watched as he closed his eyes, and awaited his fate.

"Minato!" The only next sound was instead of blood splattering the ground, it was just like that of a leaf flowing along the wind. Minato stood there still, but he caught the sword, with his...nails? Kushina looked on bewildered, then she saw why. They were claws, the man pushed down on Minato. Trying to use his weight, but was stunned to have knees taken out by a swift kick.

Minato pushed his sword out of the way, stepping on his left hand to hold the other one down. Kushina thought this was it, but what stunned her was that he slowly twisted his foot. "I hope you feel that...it's called pain. There are many types like it, but the one I feel now is fear...the one you currently are feeling is helplessness. So tell me, what do you see when you look into my eyes." Minato jibed at the man.

The man slowly met the boy's eyes, instead of blue, they were dark crimson. He shook, turning to his men. "Ninko, help me!" He pleaded, Minato just grunted, smashing his foot back into the man's hand. Breaking it.

Kushina was shaking now, she didn't know who to fear more. The men that heard her, or the boy she thought she knew. She watched as Minato simply punt kicked the man's face, making him unconscious.

She saw his eyes, images of a certain beast's eyes flowed in her mind. Making her queasy, then the other man charged, but what came next made her fear Minato more. Instead of disarming, and disabling him. She watched as Minato plunged his clawed hand into the man's chest. Blood poured onto the ground, "You all will die here tonight." His harsh hiss sounded. He slowly pulled his hand out, the man quickly fell to the ground.

She slowly saw seal marks spread across his body, slowly something changed on Minato. His whisker marks thickened, his ears moved to his head. They were almost like fox ears. She watched as his canine teeth grew.

He slowly lifted his leg up, and pushed man over to face him. The man, barely alive, only gave gurgled scream as Minato plunged his foot into the man's head. Making it crush against the ground, the other's, especially the one carry Kushina slowly backed up. Minato just gave a evil smirk, and snapped his head up.

If Kushina had ever seen demons, she mostly certainly thought this one look told her what Minato was exactly. The only woman in the group, the one carrying her, backed up more. The young "Demon" slowly walked towards the group left standing, a tail now swaying to his back.

"Munia, run, take the fucking girl, and run!" The two remaining behind began to form hand signs, **"Earth style searing fissure!" **Minato watched with little amusement as the ground split under him, he simply tossed a kunai at them. Not even a meaningful throw, no sooner than the other man passing the fissure threw an explosive kunai. Minato flashed, appearing behind his kunai. Which now unraveled a small explosive note. He also had the fortune of appearing behind the jutsu caster, and slapped the tag on him, and kicked him into the fissure.

As his friend went to help him, the young boy was quick to his action, and appeared behind the man. His own hand seal formed, **"Wind style great break through..." **He slowly took a gulp of air, which turned into a gust of wind slamming the two men together.

Minato stopped the jutsu just in time, and frowned as he saw the explosive go off. He was however, rather irritated, to see one climb himself out of the hole. Unscathed. "Pathetic idiot, glad he shielded me, I guess It's only me against you now kid...what is your name?" He asked Minato.

Minato watched as the man took off his mask, revealing a red haired man, very similar to Kushina. He had a red goatee, and spoke with authority. "Hanado, master of the earth arts...you?"

"I am Minato Namikaze, son of no one, and I'll be your FINAL opponent." He stated, the man just shook his head, before slamming his hand into the ground. Minato watched as the man grabbed a large boulder from the ground, before throwing it at him. **"Earth style spear of graves!"**

The boy focused energy into his claws, before spinning about. Like a madman dancing, wind streaks blasted off his clawed hands. They impacted the boulder slicing it apart, as he did this, he sent out a chakra pulse through out the forest. He felt Kushina's chakra getting further, and further away. He grunted as he stopped. But, on his final spin, he threw his special kunai towards where Kushina was.

He saw the man charge at him, his eyes started to shift again. This time the pupil spitting out three comma marks that circled it. The man looked at them, they spun about for a second, before he flashed away. The man impacted Minato's last position, hard. The earth where Minato once stood split apart, and Lava began to flow out.

The boy was already chasing down the woman, dashing through the forest. Kushina had saw his faint look in the forest behind her kidnapper, and herself. She saw Minato's blood red eyes, and furry tail. The woman looked behind her, and looked shocked.

Minato once again gave a kunai a toss, this time, strangely enough. Straight at Kushina, whose bounds were cut, and she caught it, she went to impale the woman's neck. Only to have her hand grabbed, Kushina felt her wrist snap, causing her to scream. Also, making her drop the tribladed kunai. No sooner than it left her hand, a yellow flash appeared right where the woman was.

A kunai soon found her back, no sooner than he appeared. Kushina felt the woman go limp, dropping out of her arms, and into Minato's. "I got you, don't worry." He said, but his tone was not cheery, it was still stunningly serious for a change.

However, those blood red eyes, now containing the new objects in them stunned her. "Minato...you..." His eyes snapped open, he threw across the clearing. Barely managing to get her out of the way of massive boulder. Which he sliced through with his claws, only to see the red haired man from before coming through the center. "Got you!"

That's when all hell broke loose, as the man was coming in to impact Minato, his foot came up into the man's chest, sending him into the tree across from his field of view. The boy watched as his foot sent the man spiraling into the large tree, though he soon got back up. He was about to attack, when he did the man now furious at his team's demise, slammed the ground with both palms. Lava erupted, flowing right for Kushina. Minato, whose only sole concern at this point was getting Kushina out of the way, had flash backs of the times they had together.

"Kushina, run!" He shouted, but she was going to slow, that's when his rage slipped. Something changed in his eyes, he already knew about his sharingan. Unlocking it at age six, and training it ever since in secret.

He barely pushed her out of the way on time, but felt some of his leg touch the molten slag. He screamed out in pain as he skidded on the ground, slamming into a tree for good measure. He slowly got up, only to see the man had a red aura around him. He was laughing as he sent the poor youth into the same tree he crashed into. "Where is that power now boy!"

Minato slowly got to his feet, chakra in the form of red energy began to slowly pour out of him. "Tell, me did you have lay with that red head whore!" Minato slowly lifted his head up, his Sharingan gone. His chakra, the one he knew he had was gone, he looked at Kushina who was trying to crawl towards one of his kunai.

"I bet you used her, all for that demon's charka, and trust me boy. You must have suffered becoming what you were, what you may have never wanted to be! You fucked yourself when you came for her here, you fucked yourself when you laid with demons!" Minato rage started to slowly build back up, he started to growl.

"I."

"Your pathetic, and her!" He watched as the man walked towards Kushina, picking her up by the neck, "She does not deserve the title Jinchuuriki, a filthy reject!" He said tossing her into a tree, Minato glared at the man hard. He was in so much pain, he could not move his leg already. He hobbled towards her.

"Maybe...I should kill her." He said raising his fist into the air, Lava dripping from it. The very thing Minato knew he was doing, it was running. Rage exploding, subconsciously forming hand seals. Subconsciously in a sort of protect or die mode. Hanado did not feel his fist impact the girls face, instead he felt it being caught.

He was impressed, no one ever caught that fist, it usually melts it's way through someone. However, he saw this boy, Minato holding it. With both hands, he looked into the boy's red eyes, he saw unbridled rage. Untainted, he must have been on his very first shit list. Too bad he was going to have only one.

"Minato...why?!" She yelled in question, but the next thing Hanado heard was the sound of screeching wind. He saw the visible chakra spread around the boy, and him slowly stepping. Hanado feet slid back slightly, Minato growl became ethereal. Almost as if it was reflected on a wall.

"I...will." Minato said, Hanado looked into his eyes. The whites slowly became darker, and darker.

"Protect...he**r I **wi**ll not** fa**il, **I will n**ot lose. Even **if..." Minato's hands started gripping onto the magma covered Hanado's, and he pulled him down to where they were eye level. "I **die**." Minato's hard glare was masked by pain he felt at the moment. He brought his right leg up, surprising the man, because that was the leg that got burned before. It was sizzling, and red. But, the blacken skin was all gone, instead it almost looked like it was healing.

The man tried to launch a fist into his face, but felt the youth push him away with his leg, making him stumble back. Minato arms came to his side, his right hand was tarnished, but Kushina watched as the particles in the air came too it, slowly reforming it's natural texture.

"**I'll indulge in this, my full release of my true form. I'll send you back to hell...where your needed to be." **Minato said walking, his eyes reforming the Sharingan, he swayed as he walked. Hanado got up, charging at the boy at blinding speeds, the boy however saw him just moving at a crawl.

"**Fire wind style, scorch dragon!" **Minato called out, forming a clone by him, they each formed hand seals, each ending on the opposite seal. The real Minato sent out the **great breakthrough**, while the 'Minato' formed a flame dragon. Causing any wind chakra to erupt in a massive gout of flame.

Hanado seeing this was stunned that such a boy could contain such power, he smirked as one of his tails came out. He slammed his fist into the flames. "**Lava shield!" **A gout of lava formed a round wall in front of his fist, but what he did not see was Minato, the real one coming from behind him.

Using wind chakra to speed up his movement, he charged in, Kunai pointed. "You little bastard!" Hanado shouted, trying to spin around, and deliver a fatal blow, only to have a kunai thrown at him. In his moment of rage, he knocked it to the ground.

Minato demonic energy began to drift to it, he came within a hair of being killed before flashing, right below the man's tall stature. Hanado brought his leg up, only to feel something slice across his left leg, making him stumble.

He saw the damned boy, holding a kunai in reversed, blood dripping. What also was puzzling him more was that his eyes were starting to bleed, "Your an Uchiha you sly dog, I'd actually believed you different."

"**I'm not one of those bigots, I'm just going to slaughter you here for what you did to her. I've been taught, trained, broken through by Jiraiya of the Sanin, and Tsunade Senju of the Senju clan. I'll never step so low, and never fall short of a promise. **

**I am Namikaze Minato, not Uchiha Minato!" **Minato roared, running dead straight at the man, The merely smirked, kicking the demon boy into a tree, only to see him crawl back up. Running right for him again, "Minato stop!" Kushina tried to break through, only to see him take a deafening blow to his face, making him fall to the ground a few feet away.

Hanado's second tail came out, he merely stomped on the boy several times, before moving his foot to the poor lad's throat. "Beg me, beg me for your lives." He laughed, manically.

Minato struggled to get up, feeling the man's foot beginning to cut off his air, his form detoritated back into it's base, minus the red demon energy, and his Sharingan. Hanado snickered, only to feel something grab him. He turned around to see a blonde haired woman, and Jiraiya of Sanin. "get your fucking foot off my Student!" The man stated, already in sage mode.

That is when Minato passed out, he would later learn that Jiraiya, and the blonde woman killed the man named Hanado.

_**Konoha, present day.**_

"Hey Kushi-chan, I remembered something, do you know why the Kyuubi seems to be calmer now?" He asked, the woman looked at him. The months had come, and gone. Not a single lash out from the giant beast sealed inside of her was unnatural to say the least. After the supposed king of all Bijuu was always vocal in it's opinion

Minato watched as Kushina tried to think of a reason, but shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's getting comfortable, took it damn long enough." She stated, giving her trademark grin. He really hoped their baby got. His grin, well unsettling, very unsettling in the least. His canine tooth always showing, it reminded him of an old anime. A guy wearing red trench clothing, with a strange hat.

Yeah, he may have been badass, but he was still scary as hell. So, for a moment he prayed that his baby boy did not have that same grin, the one all demons wore. Like Minato himself, he could smile, but the grin itself was creepy.

"Well, I guess so, you managed to tame me."

"Oh please, like you needed taming, you were always after me."

"Yeah, I know, I was actually thinking about how I rescued you...and the first time you saw my true form."

"And, your Sharingan. Something I do not hope Naruto gets, after all...you know the common link between those eyes."

Minato nodded, he noticed how blood thirsty he got using them, so he'd agreed. But, he knew better than to hope in such a thing. It would come to pass, he just hope it was not out in the open. Where some clan, that everyone all so loved, would want to claim both Naruto, and him.

"Well, I can agree, but I hope he has your hair...would you like that Kushina-hime?"

"Yes, he'd be a ladies man., and he would truly do some justice if it was spikey as well."

"Heh, so still like my hair huh, well it was your's that allowed me to follow you initially...and then the smell of your blood."

"Which, you later stated, set you too a rage you never had before. I'll be honest, I was scared of you at first, but everyday I came to the hospital, trying to check on You. When They finally let me in...I never regretted it since."

Minato smiled, "Your the best thing that has ever happened to me Kushina, I would have fallen without you."

"What do you mean, your father?"

"Yes, after everything, he killed himself for the village, on a mission where I was supposed to protect a civilian funder of Konoha...and, without you. I don't know what I could be right now, maybe the next Madara."

The name sent shivers down both their spines, Kushina was well aware of the man's powers, and so was Minato. He then looked at Kushina, and smiled. "What?" She asked, and Minato just responded, "I'll never ever be happier than I am right now, not even Izanagi could give me happiness like you can."

They walked away from the bridge, already ready for the next three days ahead.

Little did they know, a man slowly appeared from out under the bridge, under his spiral orange mask was dark smile. "Soon..." Was all he said, then with a raise of his hand, several more masked men came up from the ground. "Find where they will be on the tenth, and set up false missions for the many higher powered Shinobi. We want this to go flawlessly."

_**Three days later, outter walls of Konoha, Nina Cave.**_

Well, this was it, Minato was never going to be a ninja again. His hand was being violently crushed by the woman he loved, he swore up and down as she did. "Ow ow ow, Kushina I know your in pain, but plea-" He did not get to finish before he heard her scream.

"You did this to me you cock sucking, motherfucking, piece of horse shit!" She wailed out in pain, Minato was pale white at the burst of anger. He knew for a fact, though he was considered the most powerful man in the world to date, he's still less powerful than Kushina when she is angry. Boy, right now, she was in pain. That made her livid.

She looked at her midwife, the former Hokage's wife, Biwaku. "You lying asshole, you said this was going to be easy!" She shouted, the older woman just rubbed the back of her head. Giving a all too familiar naive smile. "Well it was for me."

"I'm not you, ya old bat!" Kushina stated, before a contraction hit her, "Fuck!" The woman on the stone rock withered in pain as she pushed. Minato was in pain, but he was excited. He would get too see his son be born, and the best part was. Once again, the Kyuubi was refusing too jump at the chance of escape.

This was it's best time, why was it not trying to escape?

"I see the boy's head, Kushina you lucked out, he's got your hair!" Kushina yelled out, but the pain was mixed with glee. Minato gave a slight squeeze to her hand, he was happy to see that their child was going to have red hair. "Okay Kushina one more push!" The midwife stated. The mother to be gave her last grand push, before the room was sounded by a loud infant.

It took it's first cry, and it's first tears dropping to the the floor. The other midwife grabbed the child, wrapping a blue blanket around him. "Congratulations fourth Hokage, your son has arrived." She stated, Minato waved her off. "Thank you Yugao, please go inform your team that your current sensei child's is here to the men outside. The woman handed the baby to him.

She was dashing out of the cave, the next thing Minato heard was men cheering. He held the baby in his arms, before looking at Kushina. "Your perfect, ya know...he's...he's..." Minato started to have tears leave his eyes. His human form slowly shifted, the tail that he hid so well in public came around the boy as he held him.

"I know...Minato...he's ours after all..." He nodded, before using his tail to gently set the baby in Kushina's arms. He smiled, at her, and his son. The boy did not have tail, but had the whisker marks. He was glad, the odds had been beaten on the side of his family. He was sure the boy would have a tail, but he was pleased to see that he did not.

"Well Kushina, it seems that Naruto is going to...have a normal life." He looked on as Kushina started to feed their baby, he held her close. That was until a masked man came waltzing through the wall, like a ghost. Which ran chills down Minato's spine.

"Who are you?!" He yelled out, seeing now identifying seals with his hidden Sharingan. The mans simply shook his head, before smiling under his mask. "I am here for the woman, stand aside Minato Namikaze." The killing his emotional success of becoming a father, brought out a kunai.

"Over my dead body, bastard." He then noticed a older woman laying on the floor, and was stunned. _"When did he..." _His thought process was broken when felt two feet slam into his back, making him fly into the wall. He looked to see a second masked man, in a all black robe. The second one burst into smoke, before the original walked over to Kushina.

She was too weak to even throw a punch, and Minato watched on as the man grabbed her, warping the fabric of reality around himself, before disappearing, if Minato was not quick, their newborn child would have been dead from hitting the ground.

Minato ran outside with the child, only to see the men knocked out, and Yugao inside the wall. She was in a lot of pain. "Master forgive me, he came out of nowhere with his clone, and had all of taken down before we could even think. I managed to disperse a clone of his, but he got me." The hokage just had his rage boiling, before warping, he knew that Yugao was going to be Okay. He just needed to get Naruto to a safe place.

_**With Kushina.**_

"I don't know why the seal has not been weaken, or has even hinged slightly. I will have the Kyuubi from you, and I'll be sure to take your precious village with it!" The man said coldly, forcing the seal to hinge open. The woman he was performing this on was screaming for him to stop, all of course in pain.

"Almost...there..." He said, red chakra began to seep out of the seal, Kushina eyes which were a soft green became red with slits. The Kyuubi trying the heal her, trying to make sure she'd lived through this. She was stunned, but was too focused on the pain to question this turn of events. She wailed out as the seal broke.

A massive column of red chakra exploded, in with a massive being shaped like a fox came into reality. It roars were like that of an eagle, and the surrounding forest was flatten. She looked at the massive beast, scared beyond belief. However, instead of the man smiling. He became alert.

He warped just in time to avoid a stab from the Kyuubi's claw, just in time to avoid any damage. However, the man re appeared on the last standing tree, next to the Kyuubi's eye. Kushina was even more stunned, the beast could have just simply stomped out her existence. "You still defend your stupid...mad even, Kyuubi." The man said, but focused on the beasts eye.

The beast roared out, but it was too late. A genjutsu was placed around it, and it slowly fell under the man's control. "Now crush...what?" He questioned, Kushina was gone, but the next thing he felt was a solid kick coming into his back. There, Minato holding his wife stood.

"Bastard!" He shouted, his sharingan blazing. The masked man got up, and point his finger at the man. Whom flashed out of the way just in time, and the man snarled. "No matter, I'll destroy Konoha instead!" He said warping to the village.

_**Konoha center, Konoha park.**_

The Hokage, the former Hokage, was already at the park. A squad of ANBU accompanied him as they dashed through the trees. Several of the ANBU split off to alert all other clans, and able bodied men to be ready for all out hell to break loose. By his side was Shikaku Nara, who looked at his long time friend.

"I estimate that we got about thirty seconds, the unknown chakra signature has been steadily growing." A young ANBU captain, who had saw the red tails from a distance looked at the Nara clan leader, and finally let his voice be known. "I estimate that we had better get a fucking move on!" The man behind him shouted as they rushed past the Hokage, attempted to make it the chakra signature.

_25_

They rushed into a small clearing, where on the pond a man stood, forming a rapid series of hand seals, by him was three clones. All of which was forming their own hand seals, and charging at the company of ANBU, the ANBU threw a barrage of kunai, all armed with explosive tags. The clones each used a fire ball to melt away the metal, and explode the tags.

"**Earth style Searing fissure!" **A man in the ANBU company stated, slamming his foot into the ground, two more came by him, each forming hand seals. The pond opened under the man's feet, and he just looked on smiling.

"Your time is short..." The man replied.

_14_

The men in the ANBU company that were forming hand seals, each blew a massive fire ball, which the man just ordered his clones to block. He watched as the blasting of fire meeting water met, he smirked under his mask. He stood there, now finishing the hand seals, before a faint blue light glowed around him.

"My gods, why is he using so much chakra for one jutsu, what could it be? **Fury?**" One of the ANBU team said, she dashed towards the man, the masked man's clone came to her right, and slammed her into a tree. Three others attempted to crack the man's defence, but the clones all stopped them.

_7_

"I am Madara Uchiha, I am a god of shinobi, and I am now going to declare judgment upon the hidden leaf."

_4_

"I declare...by the power giving to me by the gods..."

_3_

"That this village..."

_2_

"And, all who inhabit shall..."

_1_

"Burn..."

A plume of smoke, taller than any mountain around the village rose up, all the villagers stopped with their night life, and looked on at the spectacle. After the smoke hung the air, many saw the shadow. Some even began to scream, the Hokage in the park, pale as a ghost could only mutter three words.

"Everything is doomed..."

The roar, that of a demons glory was sounded through the village. The smoke exploded off the huge shadowy figure, and revealed the massive beast with all it's glory. It looked about the village, that's when it saw several humans beginning to form hand seals.

It never even gave them a chance, it was the country of fire, so with it's maw opened wide. A gout of hot flame shot out, incinerating all below it. "Now Kyuubi, burn it all..." The man's eyes spun, "Down." The fox acknowledged the command, and started to flow the fire in all directions, as if it was water. Many civilians burned to death under the wake, the irony being many of them were charging to help the Ninja.

That monster then picked up a flaming building, and chucked it towards the great wall, it broke through the old stone structure. The former Hokage landed on top of a building, on looking the massive damage. "Shit...Shikaku is Inoichi ready?" The by him shook his head.

"Hiruzen...this is bad, the village is already twenty five precent decimated, if we do not intervene now..." The Hokage nodded, summoning a large bo staff from a tattoo on his arm. "I will not let the village fall, have anyone you can aid me...I'm going!" Before the man could protest his master's action, the old Kage charged forward.

He jumped high into the air, and the bo staff grew immensely, it became the size of a small building. The masked man looked up, seeing in awe as the large staff came towards them both. He chose to warp away as the Kyuubi caught the large staff with it's hands. Hiruzen, gathered air into his lungs, and blew hot air. **"Fire style dragon flame bombs!" **Three large dragon headed fireballs launched from the man's mouth at the beast, which got hit.

The nine tailed fox stumbled back a little, until it felt some more hit it on the side. It looked to see a score of fourteen or so Ninja already preparing a second volley. "Combine your attacks!" The former Hokage ordered, still hung in mid air with his large staff in his hands.

The men acknowledged this ordered, and a large fireball, the size of a head on the monument was launched. The Kyuubi seeing not another way out, dropped the staff, which safely fell into the street below. It used it's massive paws to swipe away the massive fireball.

Hiruzen's staff went back to normal size as he landed on the ground, twirled it around his head, before slamming it into the ground. Several ninja came around him, "Lord third, currently several battalions are forming. Many of the elites still here are on the way as speak, including Nomikumo. Who is assisting Minato Namikaze at the moment."

"Itachi's 'brother' has he got it." The men around him nodded, Hiruzen slightly smirked, and dropped down into a fighting stance as the fox spotted them. He slung his staff, which grew in time to hit the massive beast across the face. "Then we'll hold them off until the fourth, and Nomikumo get here."

"Charge!" The ninja around him acknowledged as they jumped into the air. Throwing massive amounts of explosive kunai, which exploded on impact. The former Hokage jumped into the air, and spun around. Growing his staff again, which hit the beast on the other side of the face. As the staff shrunk down, he called out a jutsu.

"**Fire style firestorm!" **He brought his hands out in front of him, which flame began to shoot out of them, it shot off at least a hundred small balls of flame, which when they impacted exploded on the level of an explosive kunai.

They watched as the beast picked up a large building with both hands, and chucked it towards them. "Shit, look out!" A man shouted, that's when a large glowing yellow light sliced through the building. There in the moon light, two figures were dropping down. One holding a yellow sword, and the other forming hand seals.

When the one finishing hand seals stopped, a massive frog dropped from sky, and shook the ground as it came down on the fox. The beast roared out in pain as it's head slammed into the ground, held there by a toad which was smoking a long pipe. **"Minato, I can hold it for so long!" **The massive toad stated.

By the now identified fourth Hokage was a white hair boy, who held a large Katana. Which was glowing, "Minato-sama, the masked man you said is still here...want me to track him down?" The fourth Hokage nodded, watching as the boy flashed away in white light. He began to form hand seals, and warped himself and the beast away.

Just in time, because the beast had nasty little secret which it was going to fire off any second. The secret exploded in a far region away from Konoha. The ninja all gathered around, and looked on.

"Master, what should do?"

The hokage just looked at them, "Some of you go support Nomi-san, the other half please go assist Minato. I'm going to evacuate the civilians as fast as possible, just in case." The other nodded, and left. As he watched them leave, he fell to one knee, and coughed.

"I'm getting to old to see ashes flood a valley."


	3. Minato's last battle, sweet rains

_**Ashes**_

_**Chapter two: Minato Namikaze's last battle, sweet rains.**_

_**With Minato, Forest of silent movement**_

Minato stood on the ground, heavily bleeding from the mouth. He was lucky to have survived the Bijuu dama the Kyuubi had been preparing in secret after it got slammed onto the ground. He looked at the massive beast, which was growling out, not because of the injury. But, because there was chains coming around.

All of them originating from one singular point, not Kushina, but the masked man. Whom of which was impressed, "You have indeed earned your title fourth Hokage, not many dare take the Kyuubi for a ride...and live to tell the tale." Minato just spat blood onto the ground, and brought out a kunai. His last one.

"So tell me Minato...was it? Where is the hidden power I heard of, the man who bares that of Uchiha, and Beast?" Minato's eyes widen, and he just stood there. _"How did...when did he learn learn of such information." _The masked man saw the angst on his opponent.

"You really should not pick a public spot as a romancing location. Especially if your wife is the Jinchuuriki...well was the Jinchuuriki of the most powerful tailed beast to exist. I do say though, that...bastard child she has will be the next to burn after this village." That set Minato's little fuse off right then.

His sharingan glared at the man's whose only response was to applaud the fourth, "Congratulation on being the first Uchiha Hokage...I must say, that is a surprise indeed. Unfortunate that you chose to claim yourself as an Uchiha. Keeping to the Second's Namikaze namesake."

"I am Minato Namikaze, I bare no inheritance of the Uchiha, neither will my son." He stated, the masked man just gave a slight chuckle, before finally asking a final question. "Then why did you take great pride in always using those eyes?"

"I never took pride in them, these do not make me who I am, they help me protect the ones I love the most." The man nodded at the answer, and then looked at the Hokage standing before him. He walked over to the Kyuubi, before raising his hand, which made it stand up.

"So tell me something Minato, with all that power, and all that will. Do you think you can fight against the Kyuubi?" Minato glared hard at the man, until a loud shriek broke his concentration. There the man looked up at the Kyuubi once again was back on the ground, paw over it's nose. Which was split open.

The white hair boy landed next the Hokage, and looked at him. "I'm sorry lord forth, he's slick..." The boy replied, the fourth smiled at him. "Well, I'm glad you got here in time, I can't do this one alone." The boy nodded, and unsheathed his sword.

_**Nomikumo vs. The masked man.**_

"So even Iwagakure has traitors, so tell me boy is that the Taiyo no Tsubasa?" The boy nodded at the masked man's question, his sword glowed yellow as he focused his chakra into it. "Then your indeed a threat, Kyuubi..." He softly, but sternly ordered. The massive fox raised it's paw up, Minato seeing this started forming hand seals.

Nomikumo dashed right for the man himself, and brought his sword across his field of vision. The man watched as a yellow wave of light left the blade, but merely watched it phase right through him. "Arrogant child..." The boy only smirked, before pulling back his arm. The man's eyes narrowed, but he jumped just in time to avoid a swarm of shuriken.

"I see using the wind to move the strings into place, clever." The boy did not acknowledge the compliment, instead getting face to face with man. Slashing, while the man bobbed and weaved as if he was dancing. The masked man getting tired of playing defense started lashing out.

Nomikumo was impressed by the speed, but managed to block the man's kunai strikes with his sword. He saw an opening, but sliced right through the man as if he wasn't there. _"What the hell?" _The boy said, but was forced to backflip. Narrowly avoiding a explosive tag placed on the ground.

He watched as Minato launched a gout of fire from his mouth, bigger than the tower at the beast's palm. Nomikumo quickly gathered his barrings, and stared as the man rose from the ground. "I see that the fourth took you under his wing, tell me...why is that so?" The boy spat out some spit that had been gathered into his mouth.

"I owe him a lot, and you piece of shit...I'll make sure to hurt you, make it look like that I ripped your fucking heart out." The man watched as the boy rolled down his sleeve, revealing a seal on his arms. _"Release seals?" _He watched as Nomikumo brought the blade to his arm.

That's when he heard Minato scream, "Don't Nomikumo, I told never to use those!" The boy looked at his master, and smirked. "You told me not too, well...Master, I'm doing this protect the leaf village, and I'll die doing so." The masked man was wondering why the Hokage would warn the boy. When he watched him cut into his arm, blood seeping onto the ground.

"**First level of the unsung sun goddess sword, Release!" **Nomikumo shouted, and soon a bright yellow light came around, he sheathed the sword back. But, the man saw two elongated pieces of the aura come out of the boy's hands. "So a Katar now?" The boy just smirked, before flashing in a yellow light.

"_He moves at the massive speeds to create a flash, but it's no where near as fast as the fourth...I can counter this easily." _The man thought, and waited. But, was stunned to feel a fist slam into his back. "Wh-what?!" He coughed out, slamming into a couple of trees.

His lone sharingan began to spin inside the mask, then he saw it...there was two of them. _"Clones...but...when?" _He looked towards where the blood had seeped onto the ground, there was none, _"Blood clone..." _He let the second Nomikumo phase right through, before he watched as two yellow lights narrowly missed each other.

The man watched as they both came to a stop, "so figured it out so quickly?" The two boys asked, the man nodded. He applauded the boy on his creativity, but then his glare turned series. "Burn..." Nomikumo's clone grabbed him just in time to toss him out of the way.

Soon black flames erupted where the boy once stood, his clone screaming out. The original was speeding right towards Minato, who was having trouble at the moment taking on the massive beast. He was about to make it when he felt a chain wrap around him.

He barely had time to register a kunai digging into his back, "Now boy, got to sleep." The boy gave a silent scream, before the man twisted the kunai, and pulled it out. Nomi fell to his knees inside the chains, he watched on as his master fought the nine tails. His chakra already lowering from the use of the release seal.

"Master...forgive me...I failed you." The man was about finish him off, until he saw a yellow flash appear, and a small black orb come flying out of it. "Shit!" The man said as he jumped out of the way, watching as the orb smashed through a tree. Exploding, making a small clearing where it had detonated.

He looked towards the yellow flash, there was Minato. Eyes blood red, and his now Hanyou form tails swinging about. He bull rushed the man, a blue ball in his hand. The man unwrapped his chains from the boy, and charged at the Kage.

"Bastard!"

"Hokage!"

Minato phased right through him, but he watched through his Sharingan as chakra slowly appeared on the chain, and flashed above him. The man looked up, narrowly dodging the ball as the Hokage called it out. **"Rasangan!"**

Minato cursed, but then threw a kunai onto the ground. He moved towards Nomi, who was bleeding out. He had tears coming out of his from the pain, "Nomikumo...thank you." He said, before placing his hand on the boy's wound. Flowing chakra inside of it, that's when Kushina appeared.

She was with the third, "Minato!" She shouted, just in time for the man to spin around, and grab the masked man's neck. "You are going to die." Minato said in a cold voice, before charging a rasangan, only for it to hit the air inside the man's head.

"Can't kill what you cannot hit, and I can hit everything." The man saying, snapping his fingers. The sky lit up with dozens of blue, and red balls. Kushina was in shock, she held their baby closer to their arms. "I'll obliterate this village, and your family." He watched as the fox swallowed a now black ball of chakra.

"Everyone, get clear!" Minato ordered, he let go of the man, and jumped into the air. The man just smirked, before looking at the baby in the womans arms. He moved towards Kushina, only to have several ANBU drop down on his position. "Stop!" They ordered, the man just smirked under his mask.

"I have succeeded, **Mangekyo Sharingan!" **Everyone had a look of fear on their as the man warped away, just barely nipped by a katana of a purple haired Ninja female. She glared at his position before screaming in rage, "Goddamn it he got away again!" She yelled out.

They noticed Nomikumo get up, his sword dropped to the ground in it's sheathed. His wound was healing rapidly, that's when they saw what they feared most. The tailed beast launched a massive Bijuu Dama towards the village. But, they then saw it just flow into reality, disappearing altogether.

Then the ground shook as Minato stood upon a giant toad, Kushina looked at the scene, and realized what Minato was doing. A portal from the sky opened up, and the massive ball of energy came down, but everyone was shocked when the Kyuubi grabbed it. Chucking it towards one of the many valleys. The massive explosion lit up the night sky.

_**Minato vs. Kyuubi**_

Minato stood upon the toad's head once more, his tail swing to, and fro. He looked at the massive fox with blood red eyes of rightful rage. "This ends here Gamabunta, lets do it!" The massive toad responded by launching a massive torrent of oil from it's mouth, Minato formed hand seals. Ending with a tiger, before blowing a large fireball at the oil. The substance ignited, and headed straight for the Kyuubi.

The massive beast gave a roar of pain as the flames consumed it, however, he was stunned as the massive beast turned it's body. Rapidly swinging it's tails, and soon a tornado of fire began to form. "Son of a bitch..." Minato stated, before he he saw the Kyuubi's eyes still had the Sharingan pattern.

He decided to try, and focus on them, but when he did a sudden flash of chakra sent him to his knees. _"Nice try lord Kage, but I'll still be in control, now die!" _He heard man's voice in his head, Minato watched as the beast ran dead straight for them. His eyes began to shift to yellow, with a orange make up around them.

His sharingan still remained as he decided to jump off Gamabunta, and let the toad hold down the beast with it's webbed hands. Minato soared above of the Kyuubi, and brought both arms extended. Each forming a blue orb inside the hands. Which began to grow to immense size. As he did the ANBU below through his signature kunai at the beast.

The beast pushed the toad off, and went to bite Minato clean out of the air, the man flashed away. Making the beast just bite fresh air, he reappeared under it, and sent the first one of the orbs into it's midsection. The ball of light expanded, and blasted the beast entirely off the ground a few feet, making it roar out in pain.

Minato saw one of his Kunai appear above it's body, and he flashed too it.

"_Minato Namikaze, what is wroth protecting...the village, or the ones who carry the future." _He remembered his adoptive father, and then with a mighty war cry, akin to a gods. He sent the last one into the back of the Bijuu, shouting.

"For the ones I call family, die!" He shouted, the two balls exploding made the beast collapse in pain, Minato fell from the heavens, landing on his feet. But, as he did the transformation that happened before drained away.

He was then so stunned to see the beast start to get back up again, and the man rising from the ground once more. "Well sage arts fourth Hokage, you ever so more impress me." The masked man said as he walked towards the downed Hokage, not noticing the one kunai still in the ground by him.

"I'll admit I was wrong about this village, it seems their producing god level shinobi, and I commend them for such an achievement, I Madara Uchiha commend you especially...taking down my pet. This game however, has come to a close, please...burn aw-What!" The man shouted as he saw Minato flash away, just as black flames erupted where he once was.

The man only had the briefest of seconds to turn around, before feeling a **full forced Rasangan** slam into him, he screamed out, but also felt something else hit him. Then his eyes widened, "A contract seal?!" He turned around to see the Kyuubi's eyes fade back to their normal.

"It matters not Minato Namikaze, I'll come back for the Kyuubi one day, and I'll make sure..." Everyone especially Kushina screamed as the man formed a black rod from his hand, and ran Minato through his stomach. Making the man cough up blood, the blonde haired Hanyou, grabbed the man's face. Only to feel thin air, and fell to the ground. A black rod sticking through his stomach. "Too kill all those you love."

He stood there. And, looking at the fallen Kage, "I'll take my leave, goodnight Minato Namikaze."

The fox still blind with rage, roared at the group. It was significantly weaker though, Minato felt Several ANBU help him up, "Sir we need to get medical attention, and quickly..." Minato shrugged them off, the fox slowly made it's way towards them

"I can't leave...Kushina...listen to me..."

"Yes Minato..."

"I know your going to live through this, but the Kyuubi...I can't use THAT jutsu to seal it all."

"No Minato wait, you can't be..."

Several explosions erupted from the village, "Sir we're under attack from rouge bandits, it would seem the masked man hired them!" The former Hokage cursed, he would have to retreat back into the village, but left his ANBU outside with Minato.

"Kushina listen too me, this not debateable, and I know the man will...be back!" Minato said coughing up blood, and then looked towards Naruto. His sharingan catching a faint glimmer of golden charka coming off the boy.

"Naruto...he will be the only one who can...you...you...have to let me seal the Kyuubi in him." Kushina looked shocked at her husband, but looked down at the sleeping baby. She looked back at her now dying husband, and let tears fall from her eyes.

"W-why can't I seal it back into me?"

"Your chakra network is dead, it'll rip itself free from you as soon it got resealed."

"But, Naruto, he'll...after tonight, no one will ever again look at the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki with pleasantry...he'll suffer."

"I know honey, but...he'll make it through it, he's our son. Listen to me, it's coming, I need you to tell the ANBU to get you too a safe place after this is done, somewhere away from the village."

"Where, there is no where else I know of..."

"The remains of the Eddy Village, please Kushina, I need you two far away as possible. I will not be able to live through this fight, and your not able to use Jutsu anymore. Please, take him, and run after the sealing. Everyone will know after tonight."

"But, Minato, why can't I just seal it in me...I'll take it the grave."

"NO!"

"Then I can't..."

"You can Kushina, you have always willed me on, fought with me, and I love you..."

"I love you too, Minato, there has to be another way!"

"There is no other way, I'm almost out, I need to do what I can now. Your...the best thing..."

"NO Minato, your the best thing that has ever happened to me, I...wish that I could have done something to keep it inside of me..."

"Kushina, I don't blame you, and no one does. Please, wait for me to summon the altar, and I'll do what have too..."

"Minato, I will always love you."

"As will I, my princess."

He gave one last smile, something changing inside of his eyes. His tomoe became interlocked, and spun around. _"I feel a new power inside of me, I must use this now!" _Minato willed himself, as he turned to the Kyuubi. Blood slowly fell down from his mouth, everyone started seeing a orange chakra emerge from him.

Slowly it traveled to his right hand, where a blue ball started to turn orange. Everyone who had a chakra sensory ability saw the Kyuubi's chakra that was blasted off it's body begin to merge with Minato. He charged, pulling the rod out with his left hand, and watching as blood began to trail down his stomach.

"_If I am too have any last regrets..."_

Minato jumped towards the massive fox, roaring in a war cry. "Kyuubi, wake up!" He wailed, and dodged several of it's tails as it headed for him, his new Sharingan spinning wildly as he did. Time seem to slow down, and soon he made contact with one of the giant tails.

He ran along it, and made it to the back of the creature, and raised the Rasangan high, he saw the beast try to slam the tails on itself.

"_For all the love I've gave, and saw..."_

He used his left hand to cut off his tail, which formed into a blood clone. The blood clone jumped below the beast, and summoned an altar. The original then slammed the jutsu he had charged up into the back of the beast, and kept pushing as he saw it's blood flow out.

"_For all the ones I care about, and will leave behind." _

_**Several weeks ago, training ground forty five.**_

"Master, I'm going to miss these fights." Nomikumo stated as he laid back on his sword. His lip was bleeding, and slowly he wiped it off with his white shirt's sleeve. Minato was standing there, in his human form, and was smiling at the boy.

"Nomi, you know that I'll still spar with you, but this will be the last until I can get my son on his feet."

"I know master, Kushina-sama is still as beautiful as ever...your one lucky man to have found her."

"I know I am, and I'll always hold her dear, and what about Anko-san. The pain that could befall you if she heard you say that."

Nomikumo paused for a moment, and then shrugged, "I can handle anything she throws at me." Minato smirked, and walked over to the boy, placing a hand on top of his head. Which he rubbed into the boys spikey white hair, "I know you can, and I'm honored to have been your master. So your fourteenth birthday is coming up right?"

"Yeah, October twenty second, just a short time after your son is due, and you know what...I want to teach him all that I know."

"I know, and maybe I'll let you be his sensei, I think that you better get running. You'll be late for you date at this rate, and trust me...Anko does not like waiting."

The boy nodded, smiling as he ran, Minato walked towards the village as well, but then saw a dead leaf laying on the ground. Next to two pairs of roses, _"Odd, roses should not be in bloom." _He said to himself, and continued to walk.

_**Back to the present, Minato.**_

"_Is that I'll never see my son, and my wife have me in their life...that I'll never get to see Nomikumo pass along my teachings too him as his Sensei, that is my one regret." _

No sooner than he thought his, the ball he had in his hands exploded. Sending him to the ground in front of the beast, just as he planned. Kushina was there cradling Naruto, who was now crying. She sat at the altar with him.

"Minato...we're ready." Minato got up, and started form the hand seals. Slowly nine ethereal orbs circled his body, before they turned to flame. Soon a demon emerged from his back "I'll now use _**reaper death seal."**_ Minato stated, and then as quickly as he launched it. A ethereal purple hand shot through his stomach.

"_**Do you human, agree to my all binding term." **_

"_Yes, I shall send my soul to hell in exchange for sealing the fox inside my son on the altar."_

"_**Then it is done, may Izanami embrace you well, old friend." **_

"_May...may she embrace us all peacefully."_

Minato had tears coming out of his eyes as the hand made contact with the beast's skin, and slowly started to pull it towards the altar. The beast now coming to it's senses looked at the now unknown child, it's rage still slightly blinding it.

"_**No, I will not choose another host, I will not willing be sealed again inside a kit...I REFUSE!" **_Minato heard the beast roar out, it's chakra now draining form it, and slowly it shrunk down. But, now it was coming fast, it's clawed paw heading straight for his family.

The Kyuubi slowly shrunk down, the chakra flash resulting blinded most others except for Kushina, and Minato. They watched as the Kyuubi entered a human form, a female form. Her claw hand still heading not for Kushina, but for his son.

He moved himself between them, using his chakra to anchor himself to the ground. _"Goodbye Kushina, I'll always love yo-aaahhh!" _Minato wanted to yell to out, but as the claws pierced his chest. He could grunt in pain, but then saw the look in Kyuubi's eyes.

They were not of rage no more, but of horror. "F-forgive m-me..." She started to sob, but then felt her energy being pulled into the boy, she vanished before she could speak anymore, and there. Minato fell to the ground on his knees, his son wailing to his heart content over the pain.

"Minato!"

The man slumped to the ground, and laid there. His eyes now lifeless, Kushina wailing his name. He did not have a frown, but a smile. He slowly felt his soul leave his body, the world becoming dark around him.

The last voice he heard was a man's, and it ringed with authority.

"_Welcome home, son."_

_**Three days later, the funeral of the fallen hero.**_

The rain was starting, it was coming down so hard, people swore that it was drums. Many people cloaked in black walked the streets, holding water resistant candles. They slowly marched as the body of Minato Namikaze was being carried by six pallbearers, his smile still on his face.

Kushina, wearing a black dress walked behind them, her son wailing for her late husband. They slowly made it too a large pile of wood, where many others laid with fallen Shinobi on top of them. The former, now current Hokage. Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by a pile that held his wife, and first born son. The two others standing besides him.

"We are...gathered here to day, on this dreadful cold bitter day of rain. To pay homage to fallen heroes, and their success in keeping Konoha standing once more. Many have fallen, and will never be forgotten. Let us bow are heads."

The masses bowed their heads, however, Kushina was having a hard time keeping up. She was sobbing, close to falling on her knees. She then felt a small hand grasp her shoulder, she looked to see the battered Nomikumo standing there. His body wrapped in bandages

"Nomikumo, you should be in the hospital." She whispered to him, the boy shook his head, and gave her a slight squeeze on the shoulder. "I would never...miss...this..." He said trying to hold back his own sobs, he watched as the masses slowly raised their heads. Many of them crying.

"I am now here to serve has the lighting of pyre of Minato Namikaze. A loving father, and husband. The fourth Hokage, and master too a wonderful students, whom of which one is among us." He said looking towards the white hair boy, the boy let go of Kushina's shoulder, and walked up to podium.

"I am Nomikumo Tsume, and Minato Namikaze...was...my master. He gave...no...sacrificed himself to save all of us, even me...and I am ashamed to have failed in protecting him. I wish...I wish I was stronger, so none of you could bare this pain now...but, I only ask that you give your grace upon the widow of the man..." Nomikumo started out strong, but then slowly he started to fall apart. Tears poured from his eyes, and as he looked at the body. reality sat in.

He was never coming, and slowly he began to sob.

"I am...sorry...Kushina-sama, the people of Konoha...I do not deserve to be called his student...I failed his family. I failed him! I only wished that the Kyuubi had killed me, I never wished to ever see this day happen, and now that it has...I can't ever say sorry enough as I am now. I wish for Kushina-sama to forgive my inability..." He said, now running off the podium, and past masses.

He would go to the forest he met the man in, and wail his heart out. He hated showing sadness in front of others.

Kushina was asked to come to the podium, but could not. She stood there, wailed her heart out as the fire was lit. Followed by the chanting of of monks, who were all praying for the souls of the dead. She slowly walked away from the crowd, where she met with the Hokage.

"Kushina-chan, are you sure this is the right choice?" The Kage asked her, and she looked at him nodding. Several shinobi came forward, each were clan heads.

"I am now asking that the clan heads escort Kushina Uzumaki too the hidden eddy village, and I will instruct a team of ANBU to find Nomikumo, and have him sent there as well. He shall become Kushina's personal body guard, and march with her as Minato's chosen teacher for Naruto. Should he be able to mold chakra."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." The woman said, wrapping his right arm around the man as she used the left to hold her baby. The man wrapped his arms around her, and gave a sad smile. Tears running down the old man's face.

"When the time comes, I'll send a letter for Naruto to take part in a graduation test here. But, right now, I must go and announce the new Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi...I want you out of the village when I do, and I shall tell you by letter the results of the announcement."

Kushina nodded, and slowly she walked away from the Kage, and slowly out the gates of the place she called him.

She looked at her baby boy, who was deep asleep.

_**Inside Naruto's mind.**_

The infant laid on the pool of water, dead asleep. In a giant cage by him, the Kyuubi looked on in her human form sobbing. "I...I killed him...I...I killed...I killed my only blood..." she sat there crying, but glared hatefully at the brat. She growled out, but found that she could not break the seal on her cage.

Her rage blinding her from the truth in front of her eyes, hatred clouding her judgment.

"One of these days boy, I'll make you suffer for making me kill my son!" The distraught woman wailed out, but began to sob, she looked at the boy. Who was still sleeping, she watched as the landscape began to mold around his mind.

It was forest at first, but then a lake. It was strange, almost like Akino Code. But, she saw the first traces of chakra inside the boy. Watching faint purple, and gold glimmers shine off the boy inside the mind. That's when she could have sworn she'd saw someone standing there.

The feeling went away, when a shadow moved away from the boy. Slowly walking away, but she felt the chakra...it was so similar to Madara, so similar to Hashirama, but it was none of them. It was mixed, but then she watched as with each passing footstep the shadow took. A gray puddle of water, with black lining coming of it formed.

She was confused, but found the chakra going away now, deep inside the boy. Somewhere if she broke free, she would never be able to reach.

Maybe...it was the gods, protecting the child, through some wicked perverse deal with the wicked Kushina.

She can only look on through the boy's mind as his mother cradled him, she was sure as hell that the boy was not her sons. The odds were too beaten. He should have had a tail, but did not, blonde hair he's not gifted with.

She was in denial...for all the crazed reasons. She just rocked back, and forth repeating her earlier mantra.


	4. I'm back

So...two months, and no updates...

One spiritual journey, and I am now whole again.  
Tomorrow children of the net, and you shall see my grandest unveiling of what Ashes is going to become. I shall show you disaster, tragedy, and the art of healing through pain.

Know pain, know love, and know sadness.

For Uzumaki Naruto shall know these, and all shall know the reasons behind the mask of deceit.

two days...

Will Naruto grow up in Konoha, or will his beginnings be radical in difference?

I know, but you yet to see that light.

So come here friday, at


	5. To Uzugakure

**_Ashes_**

**_Chapter four: To Uzugakure_**

**_Near the territory of Nami no tetsu._**

To say that all things happen for a reason is a lie...everything is a choice. A choice to get up, bathe oneself. Or, ignore yourself's hygienic needs. Kushina Uzumaki knew these things very well, and she knew why the man attacked that night three days ago.

He was aware of the weakened seal effects at labor, the breaking points almost being reached. She however, did not know why the Kyuubi decided not to hurt her, or even try to get out. It was all a mystery to her, even the fact it tried to defend her.

The only true object of it's seemingly conscious wraith was Naruto, and she did not know why. Her only thoughts was of what could have been, what she saw with Minato. They all laid broken in the void, and she wanted to cry so much. Her green eyes welled with tears, it looks like she was about to do just that.

Nomikumo was fairing much better, but Anko was with him. She had her arm in comforting wrap around. He had his head hand low, his Katana turned upside down. His white hair a mass of half spike, and flat mess, his golden eyes laid defeated on the ground. Watching his own steps.

_"__I should have been faster, I should have been much more stronger..." _He said in his mind, which was a mess itself. It was starting to cloud with varying thoughts of killing that man. How he would make sure to make it slow if he could.

It started to snow, in Nami it would snow in October. The air temperature dropped slowly, making Kushina cradle the sleeping Naruto tighter. His whiskered face buried into her armpit. She looked at him, her little strong man. Not once has the Kyuubi attempted anything, and one thing else she was so confused about was Kyuubi's human form.

She'd always assume it would be a tall humanoid male, like Minato. Yet, it was a female, which would make her question everything that was told to her by Mito. It's first known sealer, and host. Funny, it would seem the Kyuubi no Yoko would be a Uzumaki pass down.

The snow began to fall more, Kushina was looked upon Tsume. Who herself was accompany by a young girl looking like her. "Kushina-chan, would it be wise to make a fire...night is coming soon?" She asked, the green eyed woman. Whose eyes were full of joy looked at her with depression.

"Yes...it would be wise..." She in a drool agreed, Beginning to stop as the small squad of ANBU, including Nomikumo all went to gather wood. They were in a clearing, so it'd been safe to make the fire if needed. They soon arrive back as Kushina sat down, a heavy Kimono worn over her, which slightly wrapped around Naruto.

The temperature's already low kept dropping. It must have been forty now, a fire would be definitely needed. The young girl walked up to the branch pile, forming a hand seal. Soon a steady stream of fire blew from it. Lighting it.

Kushina looked on in the fire, thinking of many things. She went back to the day where she found she was pregnant, a day that a giant battle was going to go down between Kumo, and Konoha. Minato had stated that he fight for them all, that he would be coming home. Because that was his job.

_"__As his father, I promise to come home." _

She thought about it, and made the conclusion that the sly bastard already won a single bet finally with her. It was indeed a boy, after the sixth month, where he'd already forgotten, she remembered. He won it. In the end, he had free reign to name their child. So she never argued with Naruto, in fact she found the name pleasing.

Better than Hagaruzo, which would have been her pick. She gave a sniffle, hiding the fact she was once again crying. She's been crying now for the last three days, if she did not have Naruto...who knows what would have happen.

Nomikumo, and Anko were sitting in front of the fire, his dead golden eyes peering into it. It would seem the more he focused on it, the more the fire would burn brighter. "Nomi, you need to calm down..." Anko whispered into his ear, he took a deep breath, ignoring her soft order as slowly a blue hot flame appeared inside the fire.

Mikudo, a woman who has known Nomi all his life turned to him, "Son...being angry won't bring him back." She said, the boy snapped his gaze at her, before bringing his knees to his chest. He gave a sigh, then voiced out. "I'm not angry anymore...just planning..." He said in long drawn breath.

"Planning what..."

"You know damn well what I am planning Anko, revenge."

"Revenge is not the path you must seek Nomi my son."

"I have no choice Mikudo-sama, even the lessons of Minato's teaching on always accepting reality, and never hating your enemy is fading away for each thought of the man..."

"Do you have any idea, who he could have been?"

"No...he's Uchiha though, he bares a Mangekyo Sharingan, the most powerful sharingan."

"I see, this is disturbing, I really don't know who ge could be."

Nomi laid back on the ground, looking at the stars. "He had a deep voice, he almost seemed to love toying with me along with Minato-sama. I don't know why, but he seems to have a similar jutsu to Minato's, if not a better one. So he's been studying us, if so, it's been either from a decent distance or so close we'd been crazy to look."

Anko, and Mikudo watched as Nomi began to draw on the ground. "He's human, so that's going against a demon...I got blood from him, so maybe we'd be able to trace it back. Fukaku does not know whom this man in the mask may be. The man also seemed to dance as a form of attack...once more he's rarely able to touch."

Anko looked on as he drew a table of contents of the ground, which he listed a pros, and cons. He watched as the cons filled up fast, while the pros only had a few marks. "He knows Shadow clone, so he's either very old, or is from out village. Which would explain his ability to manipulate his surrounds if he's been observing any of us."

"You realize that the tensions are high between Konoha, and my clan right?" Mikudo added, Nomi nodded.

"Yes, but that does mean anything will happen, your clan shall be fine. I don't understand something though, why did any foreign chakra get detected sooner?" Kushina whom was listening on the conversation, finally spoke a word.

"Maybe it's because the man, or what ever he is...hasn't been to the village for a very long time. Maybe even a few years." She added, Nomi nodded. It would certainly explain the reason of a Uchiha signature being unknown, since the system got purged every five years.

"Come on guys...your starting to sound like Orochimaru-teme, always plotting..." Anko complained, noticing the darkness within the group. Nomi turned to her, he nodded before giving a heavy sigh. "She's right...though we do need to discover his identity."

"I think we need to get word to the other villages, especially Kumo, Suna, and Kiri. All in the order, if we can create a safety net, then we could possibly catch him." Mikudo nodded, but then frowned.

"But, what if his target was just Konoha, and one of the villages is helping his goal?"

"Then we'll fucking figure out which one!"

"Language Nomi..."

Nomikumo nodded, sighing as he looked into the fire. "There is something familiar about his voice though, I can't point my finger at it."

"Agreed, I think I've heard it somewhere, but I doubt it vouches merit." Mikudo added.

"Really, where?" Anko asked, Mikudo sighed.

"I was with my soon to be husband on our last mission as shinobi, we had a client by the name Miasa, and the goal was subterfuge against Kumo during the war. When we got there, I notice Fukaku become uneasy, and wanted to leave the client as soon as possible.

So we continued, getting the missions details, what was allowed what was not allowed. But, the strangest thing was however, was a utter feeling of rage flooding over us every time we looked into the man's onyx eyes...then the night during Naruto's birth I felt the same feeling but thought nothing of it." Mikudo explained, but then realized something which caused her to break down.

"Oh my gods, I'm, me...my husband...we're just as guilty, we should have realized..."

"No! Mikudo, it's not your fault, but listen to me. Kushina-sama is broken right now, she's going to need us to get her Uzugakure where the child of my master may be reared into a proper boy."

Kushina looked at them, before shaking her head. She looked at the baby boy. "I hope you never have to go through what we're going through Naruto."

**_Three days later_**

The group were awoken too the sound of whining infant as Kushina raised up, she looked into the blanket besides her. She could already smell the reasons, and sighed as she began to strip her son of the blanket he had on. She took a cloth she had, along with a bowl of water, and began to wipe the infant down.

The fire was still going, so there was a decent amount of warmth coming from it. The snow had fallen hard around the group, enough for it to stick about two inches upon the virgin earth. Kushina had no care for snow at the moment, normally her husband, and her would have snowball fights. Like they would in the later winter months in Konoha, where it would snow abundance for about three months.

She cradled the now cleaned Naruto in her arms, she looked towards the newly erected village in the region simply known as Nami. It was small, supposedly made up of most villagers from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Konohagakure. Kiri is not really a big problem for Konoha, since they had always been allies since their war fifty years ago.

She looked as the snow curved over their location, she looked at the writing on the ground around them. A small low grade barrier seal had been erected to contain the heat of the fire, while keeping the snow out. It was Kushina's little side project with Minato, that later got passed along to many of the shinobi in Konoha.

_"__It's holding, thanks to Nomi's chakra, I can't tell the last time they checked it, but it's strong right now." _Kushina thought out, slowly wrapping her baby back into the blanket, that's when she heard a crow, and looked up. _"A messenger bird?" _

The bird landed on the ground near Kushina, it squawked for a moment, before coughing up a roll of sealed paper. The giant sized looked at Kushina, before seemingly nodding at her. The bird took off as it did Kushina walked over to the paper, and slowly unraveled it.

_"__Kushina..._

_I have tragic news to report to you on top of sadden loss of Minato. The village has now voiced their opinion, and they are not pleased that a new Jinchuuriki with the Kyuubi lives. Naruto has not been named in this revealing, one way or another he has to come back to Konoha. So for a little while longer I have managed to stall the informations release._

_I do have some good news, I have talked to Kirigakure's Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage. He's agreed to have sign over some land to you inside Uzugakure, since they do own a majority stock inside the land. _

_Konoha's civilian council also managed to find Minato's bank passwords, so you'll have access to his money saved up in case something ever happened to him. Which comes to the amount of One hundred thousand Ryo, enough to buy lodging, and food for a year if need be. _

_I still cannot find Tsunade-hime, she's been out of the radar for a while now. But, we're sure she's alive, after all we get occasional report of a...blonde manic going crazy drunk. But, rest assured we'll try to find her._

_-faithfully your friend_

_-Hiruzen Sarutobi."_

_"__Well, that figures...the civilians always seen the Jinchuuriki as the demons they held. But, I'm glad to see that I'll at least be able to stay with Naruto for year, and raise him. Though finding Tsunade may be harder than ever now, thanks to the Kyuubi murdering Minato..." _Kushina processed, she kicked into Shinobi thought mode.

She was trying to think of future plans, where she would lodge at inside Uzugakure. She knew damn well that the "generous" offer that Yagura gave, came with Terms & Conditions. So more than likely the inner city parts of Uzu were forbade to un-clearance personnel. So she could never go back to the inner city of the once great clan.

She did however know from her old times there that the land was fertile in the east, towards the newly erected Nami. So she could get documents to become a farmer for them, if need be. So she had a plan to work with, besides the hundred thousand was going to be stretched a little bit.

She also knew Nomikumo, and Anko would be living with her for a few years inside the countryside. So if any missions came their way, she'd expect a small precent of rent. But, that was here, or there.

She looked towards the sleeping couple, both had their arms around each other. She smiled at them, breaking her frown that was planted on her face for the last four days. She imagined her, and Minato laying there. Since they DID create Naruto under similar weather. The widow could giggle at the memory.

Minato had been coming home in the winter, after a major battle. He had stopped by her house, and asked her out to a camping trip. She thought it was weird, since he never really like going out doors. But, when they got there. She had never expected him bow, and ask her hand in marriage.

Of course, they did have a VERY EARLY honeymoon the same night, so it became sort of forced by Minato's standards to marry her. But, he did love her, and she was more than in love with him. So it wasn't really forced, as much of his fangirls would go on.

Their love gave life to the baby she now went back holding, her red hair angel. The baby was fully back to sleep within no time, giving auditable breathing. He was loud, surely he inherited this from her. After all, Kushina was known for being one of the best Ninja ever to grace the Country of fire, not the silentest.

The two others besides Nomi, and Anko were do to leave tomorrow when Kushina made it into Nami. She was planning on asking a ferry to take her to the location she wanted to go in the eddy country side. The place she was actually born at, and loved all so dearly in the spring, and winter.

It was a small island, and unlike the rest Uzugakure, it actually was only a mile long. About five miles inside a dense forest, basically it was an island farm. She loved the little hamlet, and was going to raise Naruto there if she could. It was isolated, and well protected by nature. Hopefully the Uzumaki contract with some of the local summons still held in a blood seal.

She looked at her son one last time, before setting him back in his sleeping bed, which was made of a few wool blankets on the ground. She laid by him, keeping her hand around the small infant. She soon fell to the need of sleep once more.

**_The next morning._**

Kushina woke up to Naruto still asleep, she looked at the baby who seemed warm. She felt of him, making sure he was not sick before picking him up. Nomi, and Anko had already been up. They had made a trip to the river, managing to secure some fish for the group to enjoy. Many of them being the small local fish.

Kushina took a skewer while balancing Naruto, and started to chew on the fish. "Thanks." She said as she took another bite. Nomi, whom was still throws of depression looked at her nodding. Kushina was indeed sad, but she had to be strong for her child. She was trained as Shinobi, so she already knew of the life her and her husband lived. They knew you only go two ways, you die young in battle, or old by age.

Unfortunately, Minato succumbed to battle, and he passed on. Living behind his son, and widowed wife. However, the one thing he did love remained, her, and their son. So his legacy was secured with Naruto, and his story with Kushina.

All in all, it's a small victory. The man did not kill them all, the village was alive, and indeed like every battle that has ever came to Konoha's doorstep it would live on. However, was the costs really worth it, especially since the people now curse Jinchuuriki for being demon containers.

Kushina on the other hand knew some things, and she shared them with Minato. The Uzumaki legends, and mythology she had studied at the fall of her clan. She's always shared knowledge with the Konoha's own historians, and even scientist.

One of the most widely known legends is about the Jinchuuriki, how at one point they we're considered godlike. Their fall from grace came with many wars, and people fearing their powers. The funniest thing of all this legend, is the irony.

The irony that the people they fought for, often against themselves, started to hate them for it. Humanity was truly greedy, and all they needed was a spark. But, in essence this was a tale for another time, and inside Kushina's little mind. She had only the thought of her baby boy, and how they would soon start journeying again into the village of Nami.

She let the babe sleep on the pallet a little while longer, while she packed their things. She would have to make a run to any local markets for diapers, and some food for the ferry trip. Naruto went through almost all of the packs already.

She got packed, and reached to take her baby into her arms. She then noticed something though, on his palm was a small circle of ink. She looked at it, then got some water, before trying to rub on it. She thought it was a dirt mark of some kind, but saw it wasn't coming out.

_"__Weird, the reaper death seal never leaves a mark on the palm, I'll have to look into this." _Kushina thought, she then picked up the mewling child, who was trying to rub closer to his mother. She began to stretch her legs. Making the popping sounds all too familiar of locked joints.

She watched as Mikudo got up, along with the several ANBU already dropping down to report. "Lady Kushina, the way is clear, no bandit activity." Yugao reported, a man in a wind mask stood by her. He looked around, making sure nothing was up. "No genjutsu either."

Kushina nodded, by now news would have spread to smaller villages surrounding Konoha, some had grudges. So they would have sent assassins out, trying to kill the legacy that the fourth had made. So they had reason to keep on their toes, and Kushina had especially good reasons.

Not having any chakra actually made her feel weak, which made her sad, but she would try her best to do with what she had. Soon they were beginning to walk towards the village inside the waves, and they could see why the land was named Nami no tetsu. The rivers they passed had at leasts waves reaching five feet tall, they could not imagine the lake around the village.

**_A few hours later, midday inside Nami no tetsu._**

Kushina, and her entourage arrived in the small hamlet. She was surprised by the beauty of the village, it seemed to thrived on the river, and it's bounty. They saw the cherry blossoms start to fade away on the trees, and fall around them. She could also see people staring at her, some with admiration which was mostly from the older women in the area.

Others, with a sense of attraction for her beauty. Her entourage came to stop as a man approached them. He looked like an elder, and had a small strain of hair on his chin. He gave a quick acknowledging bow to Kushina.

"Hello Kushina-hime, we have been expecting your arrival." The man said, he looked over at the others, and smiled. "Certainly the travel must have been rough, come along we'll offer some lodging while you state your business." Kushina nodded, letting the old man lead her. Her group followed her as they did.

"This is Nami, a rather peaceful settlement, you'll find that we have few problems here. Except for some roving bandits that like to hit traders, but you struck luck, for last week we managed to hunt down the last of the trash." The man explained, they soon came upon a large building.

"This Nami's state capital building, you must here for resident placement, but the news the Yagura-san has sent to us is to waiver this. He has interest in your stocks from what I heard, so keep a sharp eye on your purse." The group laughed slightly at the joke.

"Also here, you can schedule ferry visits to the Uzugakure territory, a few miles east of the coast line. But, I am sure you know about this Kushina-hime, you lived a few years there as a child before the Crimson swallow war, or the Second Shinobi world war came to a close." The explained, the woman nodded agreeing with the old fellow.

"The ferry itself shall be free, another wavier, paid by the Hokage in this matter. I must say though, the child you hold onto, my oh my he'll be a lady killer." The man jibed, Kushina gave a proud smile, she was happy that the man liked her child. Then again, he did not know the extra baggage the baby itself carried.

"Thank you..."

"Tazuna, my name is Tazuna. So tell me, would like to stay the night at my family's house."

"Umm...sure."

"Good, I'll have Mika make some food, and we'll lodge for the ferry tonight."

Kushina nodded, and outstretched her hand, the man took giving it a good shake. "Then it's a deal, so how do you feel about babysitters?"

**_A few hours later, night in Nami._**

"Really dad, I was going to visit Zuko today, seriously baby sitting!" A black haired teen complained, she crossed her arms. She wore a navy blue T-shirt, and a pair of tan cargo pants. She had on a small black thread necklace with a pendant of a wave. She had got it from her boyfriend on their first date.

"Look, Tsunami, it is just for tonight. Besides, his mother needing time to talk to me on subject matter involving a deal with providing for Nami, with free lodging inside of Uzugakure." The man said, in a way a matter-of-fact parent would say to their child. The young woman just scoffed, she was mad, no frustrated. She just finally gave a sigh, "Fine, just tell Zuko, whose outside right now to go home." Her father nodded, but she stopped him. "Be nice." She stressed, the man nodded.

He walked outside her room, before seeing the black haired boy standing there. "I already know, tomorrow I guess?" He asked politely, the man drilled into him with his eyes. Giving the all so protective father glare. "I'll see, so tell me Zuko-san, why so early?" He asked. The boy sighed, leaning his head against the hallway's left wall.

"I'm not here to fight with you again, I'm sorry that you caught me, and Nami..."

"Tsunami."

"Yeah...I know, I'm just here to say sorry to you, and I was taught better than what you saw."

"So, the Shinobi side of you is showing, eh?"

"Pretty much, your her father, and I'll stay away if you wish me too, upon ANBU honor."

The older man looked at the younger one in front of him, before sighing. "Your Konoha-hime is here, this is why I am asking Tsunami to baby sit." The young man named Zuko eyes lit up, his hard green cat like eyes looked at the man.

"So the rumors...they ring true after all, Minato-sama is..."

"Yes lad, the man that funded the building of a balance village, our village, has perished in battle."

"Is Nomikumo here as well, he must have taken it rough..."

"Yes."

"I'm glad to see that his students made it out of the fight, if Nomikumo survived, then that means Yugao survived as well. They treat each as a sibling, so I'd doubt he'd let her die before him."

"You are correct, such a sad thing really, the last time I saw the man was when I signed the trade contract, of course his wife was not there...she'd murdered me if she was."

"Oh...what happened?"

"I offered...an incentive."

The boy looked at the older man, and smiled deviously, "You offered up a bride, to solidify the contract?" The man nodded, he looked down shameful at the admitting detail of the contract. Then Zuko smirked, "guess I got dirt on you know, eh?" The man snapped his up at the boy, before sighing.

"Yep, but mine cost me a hit on the head by a legendary ninja, yours costed you a tanned hide." Zuko paled at the mention, before he too gave a long dragged out sigh. "So Tazuna, did you hear I'll be retiring this year, perhaps you could let me come work for you, you know on the planned bridge?" The man looked at him smiling. He patted the young man's back, before clocking him jokingly on the head.

"We'll see Zuko, we'll see."

**_Back inside Konoha, The Hokage mansion._**

Hiruzen was busy collecting things that were Minato's, he looked them over, and had them placed into scrolls. He sighed, he took out the most precious thing to Minato that ever existed, the first ultrasound of their first child. He looked at the still developing Naruto. He sighed, placing it among photos of a pregnant Kushina, and their outings.

Among them was a small hoodie, and blue jeans that Minato wore as a child. "I'll have this sent Kushina when Naruto is old enough, Aoba." A man with sunglasses walked into the dark room, only lit by a candle.

"Yes lord third?" He asked, the old man looked at him.

"Did they ever find out how the man breached our barrier?" The man inside the glasses shook his head.

"No sir, not as of yet. He must have knew the password, so I assume you wish to change it?" Aoba assumingly asked.

"Yes, please change it, think of something clever." The Hokage said with a very dry laugh.

"Sir...if I may, it is unusual for you to wallow in despair."

"I know Aoba, how are the others?"

"Not so well, Asuma-san keeps crying without weeping, he took the news of your wife's passing rough."

"As to be expected, I too am mourning her...but I promise that I'll do anything to make things right."

"I know you will, but the villagers must not know of the Jinchuuriki being Uzumaki Naruto. I hear talks, they sound...unpleasant."

"What of these talks, are they coming from the Civilian council?"

"Not as many as you might think, Choka Akama is protesting the threats of many hurt civilians. She is leading a active rebuilding campaign for the poor district."

"She's been the most reliant one in that council for years now, I guess good people still exist this dark world."

"Indeed sir, but also I have reports that Taki's leader, Muroko Asakage has passed away in a battle. Their current Jinchuuriki, his wife has taken the seat of power."

"Such a sad year, so many good people dying, what did he fight?"

"Ironically, he fought a MASKED man, but this man was different in many features from the one that attacked our village."

The Hokage listened, his eyes quipped a little bit. He was interested in the news, "So is this MASKED man dead?" The subordinate in front of him nodded, and paced towards a wall, before flipping a bookcase around to reveal an old war map.

"Hokage-sama, if these two men were indeed related assailants, then we might have the first leads to figuring out who...or what group could be behind these series of attempts at taking tailed beasts. If these follow the right pattern, the Nanabi Jinchuuriki was the next target, relatively in weak states." The Hokage's eyes widen, before it finally dawned upon him.

"Birthing." The man nodded.

"So they're attacking Jinchuuriki at their weakest moments, it would prove a challenge sense many are male. Thus that weakening effect won't apply to them, but it's disturbing none the less, so has the body been identified? Any hand bands, tattoos?" He watched as Aoba's hand moved to his head, before for the first time, he got a shcoked face.

"Yes, but...sir...it was, I can't believe it."

"Spit out man, who?!"

"It was Akura Senju, the handmaiden of the Empress."

"What?!"

The Hokage hands slammed on the desk, all of the Senju had moved to the country hidden under the sun when the Red Moon war began. It was to gain favor to the Empress of Edona. The name of the of continent that all Shinobi presided on. Too hear that a handmaiden was responsible would have been reasonable, the Empress had a taste for capable women.

But, for it to have been a Senju. Something indeed sinister was in the cards of fate. The Hokage just sighed, before leaning back into his chair, before he heard a screech, and looked at the window to see a golden crow. "A golden crow, they...they all come from the Empress."

The Hokage watched as the massive bird slowly forced a letter from it's mouth, spitting it onto his desk. The bird then took flight, but as it did, the men swore they saw it light up. "Why would the Empress be messaging us, this is truly extraordinary." The Hokage said, opening the letter.

_"__Hokage, Hirzuen Sarutobi. _

_I am writing this letter to inform you that as of now, I am declaring a forced meeting of all Kage, of those included are Kumo, and Iwa. You must attend this meeting, a discussion shall take place over recent unsettling events. We've also taken the liberty of informing one Jiraiya Nama to attended the meeting as your guard. _

_I will say sorry for the inconvenience of timing, the passing of Minato has reached me. I shall grant him a honor for his service inside the Red moon war. I would also like for the following people of your command to attend the meeting. _

_Nomikumo Tsume._

_Anko Muratashi.  
Hayete Gekko_

_The meeting will concern them, among others to formulate a solution to these...recent Jinchuuriki attacks._

_Your Head Daimyo, and Empress._

_Hikari Yasaka."_

"Disturbing, the Empresss never call meetings, they always stay out of these conflicts." The Hokage muttered, but before he could get a response, his door opened. There standing there was a short brown haired man, with pink eyes. Behind him was a follower dressed in a Kimono, and his blonde assistant.

"Hokage-san, I arrived as requested."

"Yagura-san, glad to see you could arrive on such short notice."

"Agreed, I am to sign a certain contact involving a piece of Uzugakure?"

"The piece that Uzumaki Kushina wishes to live on, yes."

"Good, I hope you came ready to play hardball."

**_?_**

A golden crow was heading above a waterfall, as it reached the top, an arrow was sent into it's fragile body. The assailant was standing on the water, inside the roaring tide as it fell to the abyss below. He had long blue hair, and had gray eyes. He smirked as he saw a plant like being grab the bird.

"Zetsu-san, be a good boy, and tell me where the message was sent from." As he ordered this a slithering was heard in the ground, before a black, and white plant being emerged. He looked at the man, "**As you wish Oda-sama" **the black half said, before opening the letter.

"I can't wait to eat that bird, I heard golden crow are delicious."

**"****It reads..."**

"I mean, what do you think Oda-san, crow equals good eating right?"

**"****It...reads."**

"Seriously, if it's golden...then is it crunchy?"

**"****Shut the fuck up White Zetsu, I am trying to follow a direct order, maybe you need separate from me, and receive a lashing for you intolerant behavior, you idiot." **

Oda, who was sitting there, taking out of bottle of a warm substance, before taking a cup out. "Please continue, I love comedy with my tea." The white half just smiled gleefully, before black one blurted out the response Oda was really wanting. **"The land hidden under the sun." **Oda flinched for a moment. His cup falling to the ground.

The white half of the being split off, and ran.

"So...the quaint powerless Empress is trying to gather a hearty bunch of men, and women to deal with our master's plans. Shame...Akara failed her task to kill the roving deer of Takigakure. Now we don't really have a inside the Empresss forbidden city."

**"****Indeed, but were you once a loyal guard to the Empress Oda?" **

"I was, but Madara-sama opened my eyes, this world deserves his light."

**"****Black, and hot as red steel." **

"Indeed. I suppose my kind will never be like your's Zetsu, so very accustom to the shadows of men, the life underground must be pleasant."

**"****Not when you have to deal with a whiny brother."**

They were in deep thoughts, but the sound of a clap brought them out of the delirious. He turned to see the man inside the mask, Madara come into the fray via a warp. "Ah, we were just talking about you Madara-sama, tell me. Did we get the body of Akara taken care of?"

"No, security was too tight for Miasa to get in. This damned wound that the bastard from the Leaf gave me is still hurting, usually it would have been healed by now. But, since he was Hanyou, I guess it's different. Lying cheat."

"I agree Madara-sama, but the pressing of the matter of the moment is the Empress." The man in the masked nodded, before walking towards the man. Making eye contact, the man eyes widen slight, but then it calmed.

"So Oda Nabushi, your final mission, is the assassination of the empress Edona."


	6. The things that matter most

**_Ashes_**

**_Chapter Five: Things that mean the most, Falling star_**

**_Inside Uzugakure, near the Kirigakure border. Two days later._**

_"__Nomikumo_

_You are to report with Anko Miratashi back to Konohagakure within three weeks, please note that a second team shall be sent too relieve you of watching Kushina-chan. These are orders passed down from the Empress Edona, please be on time. _

_-Hiruzen Sarutobi."_

Nomikumo scrunch up the letter, before throwing it away. He slammed his hand into a nearby tree, "Damn it..." He said in a low growl. Anko who was in a bathing suite, since they had decided to visit the lake, and well she looked concerned at her boyfriend.

"Nomi-kun, what's wrong?" She asked, the young teen looked at her. He took a deep breath, before saying what she knew was coming next. She did not like getting comfortable, only to get back up in the saddle of duty. "We're heading back to Konoha, inform Kushina, and the other ANBU of our departure."

"What, why?!" Anko pouted, she crossed her arms like a child. She looked at the paper, noticing the seal on it, and she snapped her back up to her lover. "My gods, the Empress?!" She yelled in question, Nomi nodded. Before putting his red shirt on, and popping his neck.

"Yep, and I'm going to talk to the other ANBU, see if they can watch Kushina, and Naruto-sama for a while longer. We're leaving tonight." Anko nodded, before getting on her shirt, and walking towards her boy. She hugged him, "Glad to see your finally coming back to normal..." The young teen nodded, and hugged her as well.

"It's just something about this place, it's peaceful..." He said aloud, and held her tighter. They stayed like this for a little while longer, before they finally made their way back to the house which Kushina now lived in.

**_Kushina's house._**

"He what!" The red haired monster screamed as she threw a table through the door. She stomped towards the crumbled letter, before snatching it up. "Nomikumo, blah blah, you are summoned back to Konoha, with Anko. Blah blah, and...oh are you shitting me. Your leaving me in the care of ANBU whom of which lack the skills to change diaper!" She roared, throwing the paper out the door as well.

Nomi was pale as snow, he shook with fright over his mistress's anger. "Kushina-sama, it's from the Empress pl-please don't kill us." Kushina loomed over the teen, who was shaking, she smirked. Remembering how she also had Minato like this, scared, and almost pissing his pants.

She calmed as she heard Naruto cry, and went to cradle the little boy in her arms. "Hey, guys look...he's opening his eyes." Nomi stopped quivering, and walked over to Kushina. He looked on with Anko as the baby's eyes slowly slid open. There, they smiled. Baring Kushina's beautiful hair, and now his father's Azure ocean blues. He would be a lady killer for sure.

"Oh, he's got Minato's eyes!" Anko squealed, she then watched as a tear slid down Kushina's cheek, she looked at the others. Before, she held the baby tighter, and brought him as close as possible. "I'm never going to let anyone hurt him." She whispered, slowly starting to cry.

She did not whisper to them, this much Nomi knew, she was whispering to Minato's spirit. So it could rest in peace. Nomi then heard a noise outside, and decided to go outside. There standing was an ANBU he did not know was on the team. "Sagara, what are you doing here?" He asked, the auburn haired woman stopped mid pull on her bow.

"I have a lot to atone for, so bud out Nomi." Nomikumo nodded, and decided to head his own way, but then the girl looked at him. "By the way, I hope we nail the son of a bitch, I'm already fancying none lethal shooting." Nomikumo sighed, before walking over to her.

"Listen Sagara, we'll get him, but right now you need to focus on what remains of our master's wife, and she needs her students now. Like Yugao, who is hunting for food with Hayate-san." Sagara nodded, but then sighed.

"It is just not right, the amount of brutal beat downs Kushina-sensei went through, only to have one more rip her husband away. But, also make her son the new holder of that...demon...I wonder what it's doing inside of him right now." She seethed.

"I know, I don't like it either, but the demon itself was the target of the masked man. I fear that once the man realizes that the beast was moved into a new host, he'll come for Naruto." Nomi explained, he gripped his fists. Anko who was standing at the door used her enhanced hearing to hear what he was saying. She nodded.

_"__That man has made the list of shit I'm going have Managa to eat." _She growled as she thought, before Orochimaru, there was really hardly anyone on that list. She made sure to jot down the man's looks in her mind, from what Nomikumo said he mostly saw.

They turned Kushina, who was now stepping outside the door. "Okay, so who wants to help me check the seal on Naruto?" She asked everyone, Sagara stopped firing her arrows into a tree, and smiled. "Sure, lady Kushina I'd love to help"

The red haired mother nodded, but also looked towards Nomikumo, and Anko. "Come on you two, your going to help too, we will get the first chance to look inside Naruto-chan's mind." The two lovers looked at each other before shrugging.

**_Later that day, inside the living room of Kushina's house._**

"Okay Nomi, Anko, please flow some chakra into my son's abdomen." Kushina ordered softly, she got out a ink jar, put her hands over it. She may of had her chakra network fired, but her ability to sense chakra was still intact, thank the gods it was still with her.

After all, besides the one little blue bundle of joy she could see, it held a valley of red behind it. Naruto squirmed under the touch of his mother's now cold hands. "Shh, it's okay little man, just keep still." Kushina cooed, and watched as Anko finally started flowing a trickle of chakra inside of him.

"Alright good job, Nomi I need you to enter my son's subconsciousness, and get details on what it looks like inside of it. If it seems good, then I won't need you all to go through a two day improving process of the seal, if it does not...well, I hope you like sitting in one place for a long time."

Nomi just sighed, before forming a hand seal, and placing his two first fingers of his right hand onto the infant's forehead. He closed his eyes, focusing chakra into the babe, and slowly he felt himself drift. Anko watched as he slumped over, which made her jump inside a little, but she maintained.

**_Inside Naruto's mind._**

Nomi stepped through a hole of light, and appeared what appeared to be a sewer. He looked to and from, and he noticed doors all through the hallway. Some had crystals in them, like green, others had blue, and a few in between had red.

"Interesting, so to make my journey towards the well of Chakra." Nomi said inside his future student's own mind. He began to walk, but then noticed something. His reflection inside the shallow murky water was not present.

"Weird, whenever I did anything like this in my mind, water always reflected." He muttered aloud, and kept walking. He put his hand on the grip of his blade, just in case of bad spirits invading onto his own personal space.

He continued down the hall, which seemed to stretch for a untold amount of miles, until he came to corner. Nomikumo turned towards the new hall, when he saw a stair case. Seeing that he was inside the head of the boy, he needed to go down. Slowly he descended the staircase, hoping nothing else was inside Naruto's mind.

He came to the end of the staircase, and stepped off. He looked around, noticing the water was deeper here, but he noticed a strong smell of trees. "So, I'm close to the part of the spirit which governs the heart." He guessed aloud, and slowly began walking once more.

What once was just murky water, began to clear, and soon he felt his feet hit what felt like grass. He looked down, and before snapping his head up. Nomikumo, the man that trained under Minato Namikaze, stood dumbfounded at the sight.

There inside the boy's heart, and soul, was a giant forest. Almost like the one Kushina was currently living. Maybe the child liked it, and subconsciously to imprint it upon himself. He walked, until he came to a carved out log, and there he saw the boy sleeping.

"So I'm here, and I can't seem to see the ca-my gods." Nomi said as he turned to his side, and saw the massive forest. With trees, seemingly in a row, but he also noticed that they looked dead. He noticed the grass near him...dead.

"_I think I found it..." _He silently thought, trying not to alert the beast inside the cage. Which he could see the background, and was very much asleep. _"That damn thing...killed my sensei, and I can't even touch it now." _Nomi mused angerly.

He clapped his hands together, and closed his eyes. There inside his own chakra sensing, he could see the large gate in it's actual form. He noticed that it had chains wrapped around it, and it seemed to sealed tight. Very tight. He noticed a pulse of chakra, not red, and not even blue. He noticed that it was white, and he looked to the source. But, he could see nothing, instead it just hovered above the infant.

"Who are you?" Nomikumo called out, but held no response, but he knew that it was not the masked man. Which for the mere moments of fighting him, he could see only dark purple chakra. This one was just pure, and utter light. Still no answer came from it.

But, Nomikumo could see that it was slowly flowing around Naruto, so he decided to test it. He brought his blade up, he sent it forward, but even he was stunned at the light's speed as he broke his mock attack. No sooner than it left the blade, it was protecting him.

Nomikumo studied the look of the light, noticing that it was now flowing more aggressively around Naruto. He started forward, he held his side as he did, his outside body was still in pain. The wound that the masked had gave him was still there in a sense. Not fully healed, but he still could still move.

Unfortunately, not fast enough to counter what the light chakra did next. It sent itself right into Nomikumo's wound, making him grunt in intense pain. However, the pain soon faded into comforting bliss. Nomi watched as his world slowly went dark, but he felt at peace.

_"__Am...I...dying..." _

**_In reality._**

"Nomi!" Kushina, and Anko shouted. They gathered around the man, who had been sent into the roof the building, upon a sudden burst of chakra from Naruto. Kushina senses were blaring hot with unknown chakra coming from her child, Anko's own Shinobi senses were on high alert.

Nomi, on the other hand, slowly opened his eyes. He slowly got up, but noticed a hole in bandages, he looked at the other's. "What just happened here, did I just get attacked? How is Naruto?!" He ordered them, he got rapidly, faster than he should.

"Nomi, don't move so much, your wound!" Anko called out, afraid that her lover's fast reaction may tear away what took a demonic dose of Chakra to fix, but what then she notice something else. "Nomi...your scar..." Nomikumo looked down, before running out of the cabin, towards the nearby lake.

There he stripped the rest of his of bandage off, and saw that the scar was gone. "What in the gods names...did, impossible." He tried to reason, Kushina came out with a bundled up Naruto. He looked towards the infant, "he..." Nomi started, before snapping back to when the light hit him.

He swore he had saw a figure for the briefest of moments, but it did not look human. Ghostly, but not human. He watched as Anko looked at him in shock, he did not have a scar, and seemed to have no breathing problem like he had before.

"I...Naruto, he" He tried to figure out, before sitting on the muddy shore of the lake. The baby in Kushina's arms started to wail, as it did, Nomi could he the roar of a giant beast. But, it was not inside the world around his friends, and lover. It was inside Naruto.

"Nomi, did my son..." She stuttered, but Nomi shook his head.

"No, there is something else inside of Naruto-san, and it's not harmful towards him." He explained.

"What did it look like, Minato?" She asked, hopeful that it was a piece of her husband living on inside their child.

"No, nothing humanoid, but it was ghost like." Nomi answered, still feeling the now nonexistent scar on his chest.

"Any key features?" Kushina once again inquired, Nomikumo shook his head.

"No, just a pure mass of pure white chakra." Kushina eyes opened slightly wider, but then she smiled.

"So...that means, what?" Anko asked. Kushina shrugged, but she knew that she'd have too go in herself. Just not today, if it had the power to effect Nomi outside the spiritual realm, then it could seriously hurt Kushina, if not kill her. Though, it seemed benign.

The baby fell asleep soon inside of Kushina's arms, Nomi slowly stood back up. He looked at his reflection inside the water. He then closed his eyes.

_"__Minato-sama, when your son is born, I'll be there to protect him." _

_"__Oh...what about me, am I not his papa?" _

_"__Of course sir, but your gonna need help to beat off the women, they shall surely be after the Prince of Konoha." _

_"__Oh yes, Nomikumo, you are right about that. But, Jiraiya will probably love the novelty." _

_"__Yeah, the elder sage, and pervert of legend. Wonder what kind of things he could write about Naruto" _

_"__Let's try not to imagine such things Nomi-kun, after all, the boy is do in three months. Then you'll be taking on a Genin team of your own." _

_"__Yeah, but hell, Anko is gonna kill her team." _

_"__Then you better make sure she doesn't, I don't need paper work."_

_"__Haha, very funny."_

_"__What, I'm being serious here."_

_"__Naw, I know when your serious Sensei, and your not right now." _

_"__Touche..." _

Nomikumo's eyes snapped open, "Lady Kushina, I'm going to refuse the empress on her order for me to arrive in the Sun Country." Anko looked stunned, she watched as Nomi had a tear roll down his face.

"Nomi, but that's an advancement...a very big advancement." Kushina countered, but the young man shook his head. He looked towards the water, but as he did, he saw something. It looked like a structure under the waves, but not too deep.

"Lady Kushina, was there a town here?" He asked, now trying to change the subject of importance around. Kushina nodded, but gave a heavy sigh. She went by the shore, carrying her baby with her. She took a cloth with her.

"I was here when the fall of Uzugakure began, it never came from the war, but the gods." The group of ANBU looked towards Kushina as she said this, she sighed looking up in the sky.

**_Twenty years ago, Uzugakure, Day of destruction._**

A younger looking Kushina stood on the banks of the shore to lake Enruki. She stood there as the sun was blotted out, and a small moon slowly came down. "Kushina, honey!" She heard her mother call out, the younger Ninja just stood there, watching.

The moon slowly began to light up the sky, bright purple flames surrounded it as it fell. "Mother...Uzugakure..." Kushina began, but felt arms grab her. She looked to see her father, a tall red headed man throw her onto a boat.

"Get them out of here now, the gods have came!" He shouted, Kushina tried to fight, to get back to her father. But, slowly the boat began to sail away. She could only watch as Uzugakure tall towering building succumbed to the weight of the small moon.

The sun slowly peered out more as the moon crashed down, everyone on the boat felt a strong gust of wind sweep across the ocean as it did. "Father!" Kushina cried, but as she tried to get out, her mother held her back. She watched as her father stood in the town he ran, and formed a giant wall of earth.

"Mother, what is he doing!" She pleaded for an answer, the mother just looked away. The next thing Kushina could see was the wall turning into molten slag, slowly flowing downwards. Many of the people, who had saw the falling moon, were...cheering.

"He's stopping the blast, Hazo is stopping the blast!" One man gave praise to her father, she watched as the molten slag was being pulled into several large rolled out scrolls. She could only watch. Then she looked up, seeing only a ball of fire, which was once the capital of Uzugakure.

"All those people..." She muttered, but began to sob. She then yelled out to her father, but it was too late as the blast finally broke the barrier, taking him to the grave. Many of the boats nearer to the shore came flying from the winds at top speed.

There was no heat off the wind, the heat was being absorbed by the scrolls that were laid on the ground. However, she watched as the town sunk down to the bottom of the lake, soon disappearing beneath the waves of the poll of boiling water. The one large island split apart, soon creeping away from each other.

Kushina had just witness, what she would come to consider, the second worst horror in her life.

**_Back to the present, Uzugakure, post destruction._**

_"__So, it was true, the gods of war really did curse Kushina's clan..." _Nomikumo thought, the ANBU around them in the trees hung their heads low. Nomi watched as Anko slowly looked about. She was stunned, according to Kushina's story, the towers of Uzugakure most have been more massive than a mountain.

"So, in the end...the only reason why Kumo, and Iwa could cripple the rest of Uzugakure was because of the war gods." Kushina said, she looked around at her homeland, the scars still very present of the small moon falling. The island of Uzugakure had even been split apart from the impact.

"So the history book was sort of missing the falling moon part, eh?" Anko questioned, Kushina nodded. But, then she sighed, before holding her babe tighter. She closed her eyes, thinking back towards the falling moon, how her father died. She was not going to leave Naruto all alone in this world...never.

**_A few days later, inside of Taiyo no Tetsu. _**

"Mi'lady, the one known as Nomikumo has refused to come to the summit." A small girl said, bowing to her master, the girl watched as the girl waved her off nonchalantly. She nodded, leaving the room.

Her master raised from her throne, which caused sunlight to flow upon the empress's face. She was stunning, beauty in form. She stood tall, had long flowing purple hair. Her eyes were as red as the fire that was in the middle of her great hall.

"Hmm, so Nomikumo refused to see me...after all these years." She mused, she sighed before walking down the steps. While her long flowing white kimono, with the symbol of the sun Goddess Ameterasu painted on it's back. Flowed like water down the steps. She watched as a small platoon of men came into her hall, each of them wearing armor.

"Morning Lady Edona, the guards of the Ameterasu are reporting in." The fair empress nodded, before walking down the stairs. She came to a stop, and looked at the line of people holding gifts, and trinkets to appease their mortal goddess. She sighed, not wishing the people to do this.

Yet traditional practice...is traditional practice.

"Thank you all for coming in on such short openings, I'm here to listen to my people. So please, I implore, speak." She softly ordered, a farmer, or one man dressed as one slowly walked towards her. He knelt down, and bowed in respect.

"Miss Edona, the crops are hard this time of year, and my village is suffering. May we ask for rations, so that we could feed ourselves to serve your holiness." The Empress nodded, and the man got up. Repeatedly thanking her gracefulness, and soon left the room.

The Empress watched as several more came to her, all with the same problem. The drought was really hitting them rough, unlike them, she had running water. She slowly addressed each of them, and sighed as she addressed the last of the commoners to be in need of a imperial favors. She slowly made her way back to the throne.

There she sat down, and rested. Her head was filled with worry of her people, and of the nations she held little power over. Her ancestors having gave the many Shinobi villages free reign of rule, except during all out war.

She slowly closed her eyes, but as she did the room blared with chakra. Her one curse. She had chakra sensing, granted to her by her long forgotten ancestors, and how they did master this sense. Now it was genetic, and she was forebear to that legacy.

She could see her guards chakra, her hidden Shinobi guard. All was in her sight, all could not escape, even the smallest chakra could be sensed. This is what set her off, there should have been seventy three, but there was seventy four. She opened her eyes.

"Susanaza, did we have a new guard?" She asked the girl, who shook her head. The men who were at a grand table got up, each within a blink of their empress's eye had their blades out. The seventy forth chakra signature came down, it was blaring purple. The sign of evil chakra.

"Hello Mi'lady, it's been a very long while." The voice stated, it wore a dragon mask, and had a very large yumi bow on it's back. The woman looked at the man, who in the face of seventy three elites, seemed so very calm.

"Oda?" She asked, the man merely smirked under his mask, before slowly reaching behind him. The guards charged, each sword glowed with yellow light as they did. Oda jumped towards the roof, where while in the air, he let a little paper slip from his battle robe. The empress saw this, and she recognized it.

"Everyone move!" She ordered, a long, and very complex seal formed around her hand. Which when she touched the ground, sped towards the explosive note. It made it just in time, when it did, the note vanished, leaving only a spark.

"That would have been a firework show to see, the imperial palace going up in flames?" Oda commented calmly, as if he held all the cards in play. Especially the aces. He slowly detached himself from the room, he unsheathed a twin pair of tanto.

He held them reverse grip, smirking under his dragon mask. That's when Edona noticed a second chakra, different from his, all in his eyes. She watched as her men charged, but watched as the chakra seemed to alert Oda of their attacks.

The man swirled around a combination of stabs from Katana, and a spear. Which was held by a samurai training in the monks ways of Naginata. The man was almost dancing in the way he dodged, before he finally launched his own attack.

Burying his right Tanto into the spearman's neck, slicing it open. Blood flowed onto the marbled floor, much to Edona's ire. She had enough, grabbing her ancestors sword from it's hilt, and slowly allowing the ancient chakra to flow into her. Which made her hair turn white.

"Move now! **Ancient art beast slash!" **She called her jutsu, the man that had killed her guard watched as the a roar of red chakra headed for him. _"So she uses the Totaka." _The man thought as he threw a barrier tag down, which blocked the attack. But, the barrier shattered, making the tag useless.

Oda threw both Tanto behind him, killing two men trying to run him through from behind. He quickly grabbed his bow, strung a arrow on it. "Come then whore Empress, I'll see you dead!" He taunted, laughing manically as he loosed the arrow.

Edona did not even stutter, catching the arrow midair was trivial to her. "I'm Empress for a reason, you were foolish to even think a petty move would kill me." She stated, charging chakra into the blade she held. Oda glared at her hard, but then caught why he had two different chakra.

He had a pair of Sharingan eyes implanted into him, "Bastard dog!" A man shouted, charging in full of zeal, katana raised high. Oda simply grabbed an arrow from his quiver, and sent it into the man's belly.

As he pulled out, he got kicked hard in his ribs, not by a guard. By the empress herself, which sent him into the wall. "I've been trained in many combat forms for defence Oda, you should have stayed gone." The man pulled himself from the wall.

"It would seem Madara-sama was wrong about you, you are strong indeed." Oda complimented, but as the mask slid down from his face. All stared in horror of his scared face. He had been experiment on, Edona kept her blade up, but it shook slightly.

"What have you done to yourself?" She quivered, asking the question. There was no man in front of them, a freak with not just two eyes, but four. Two just right above his normal eyes. They just happened to also be sharingan.

"I've became enlightened, I share power that the gods gave onto your first ancestors Edona. Now, how about I just...kill you." He grunted the last bit, pulling the last of himself out of the wall. As he did, he just started to fade away into petals of cherry blossom.

"Genjutsu, stay alert!" A man called out, standing in a circle around the empress. They looked on as, but the next thing that happened stunned them all. A guard, just behind the man that had called out the strategy suddenly sliced through him.

"What are you doing!"

"Traitor!"

The guard simply slowly shedded the body armor, as if it was snake skin. There stood Oda, but before anyone could touch him, he vanished once more. Then the ghostly sound of his voice sounded, _"I am enlightened, no one can see me, nor can no one touch me. This is the power of __**Izanagi**__ a Uchihian jutsu, a godly jutsu." _

Edona used her chakra sensing to sense him out, and found that he covered the room in his chakra. Rendering him very much invisible to her mind's eye, but not entirely. She got a good sense of where he could be, after all there was only two waves of chakra moving about in the room. Either one could be him.

She looked towards a bodyguard she had known for years, he had beast like brown eyes, and had a fur like armor over his samurai one. "Mizuma, can you smell him?" asked the Empress, the man just shook his head. She gave a frustrated sigh.

Just then she saw an arrow materialize, on instinct Mizuma managed to dodge, but felt something go through his back. He looked down to see a guards Katana sticking out of his stomach. Edona watched Mizuma using his willpower alone, grabbed the Katana.

"Heh, got you, you bastard." He said weakly, coughing up blood. The ghost that was Oda just let the Katana go from the hilt, and left it embed inside of Mizuma, whom slowly walked forward. "He has no weapon, but his bow. Keep an...eye...out." He said in a now hoarse voice.

Edona was right next to him, so was a medic. "You crazy fool." She commented, trying to hide her emotions in battle. Mizuma just smirked, before coughing a wad of blood up. He then looked around, before sighing as he was laid to his side.

"Your lucky, if he'd pulled out the katana, you'd been dead within seconds." Commented the medic. The guard just looked at him, scuffing him off.

_"__**Fire style roaming flame!" **_

Edona managed to grab a seal tag of her own, and threw it in front of her. No sooner than it activated, that a wall of slowly moving flames erupted from where they were. But, not so lucky, the many guards not inside the barrier. Some got killed from the fire, while other with water chakra managed to hold off the flames from their brothers in arms.

After the jutsu ended, Oda, and a very much smug look adorned his hideous face. Which Madara contorted to look demonic, evil, and all around something to fear. Edona however, did something else, something that contraried fear. She charged right at the man, who had one of his four eyes closed. "I'm going to rip out your fucking eyes!" She shouted in a rage.

Oda barely dodged a savage slice from her blade, before landed on her throne. Sitting in it, almost trying to taunt her into charging. However, Edona was no fool. She restrained herself, and not a moment to soon. No sooner than she stopped, did the floor collapsed.

Revealing a earthy floor, with very sharp spikes made of stone. "Good, you managed to figure out not to use your anger finally. Tell me Edona, are you scared of me now?" The woman merely got surrounded by her guards.

They were getting ready to exchange blows once more, all of them. "I'll tell you now, I'm here to kill you, come death. I'll make sure you die." he said, now bringing his bow forward. Taking three arrows out of the quiver, and pulled back. Overdrawing the bow, it was near breaking point.

"Quit playing around, and fight us you prick!" A guard shouted, another one did the same.

The man obliged them, his confirmation, the sonic boom of the arrows flying off his bow. The windows inside the room shattered. Edona, using the Tokata, managed to destroy two of the arrows, but the third one barely missed her. But, not for the four guards standing behind her.

She watched as the arrow sailed through them, like a hot knife through butter. She glared hard at the man, whose top right eye began to spin rapidly. "I'll ma_ke illusion, reality, __**Izanagi!" **_With the uttering of those words, he disappeared.

"This is his last chance to use this jutsu men, unless he chooses to sacrifice his own life!" Edona stated, only to hear crackling above her head. She looked up, a painting on the ceiling of lightning started to shift. She watched as the lightning became real, and launch itself right at her.

She jumped out of the way, only to feel a strong chakra behind her, she threw elbow back. Connecting with Oda's face, he just screamed in anger, before disappearing once again. She then saw the statue, one bearing Susano~o's likeness come to life.

It charged right at Edona, it's twin swords poised for her blood. She formed a series of hand seals, and took a breath of air. She then blew a gale of air from her mouth, "**Wind style breakthrough!" **The statue started to crumble from the wind, and several guards finished it off with a combo of **fireball jutsu,** and explosive tags.

"Damn him!" A guard shouted, only to have a arrow materialize in front of his face. "Oh shii..." Was all he could say as the arrow exploded with a sonic boom, taking his head straight off, and planting it firmly on Edona's throne.

Edona, whom of was getting very pissed off at the moment, decided it was hight time to end her would be Assassin. She slammed her hands the ground, and with a roar of smoke. A large, and large red dragon appeared. It roared, nothing got damaged, not even a thing from it.

**"****Hello Edona, how may I once again be of service to the Urakami family." **The dragon asked, the woman on top of it's head. Just flared her chakra through out the room, pushing it as high as she could. The necklace adorning her neck began to glow, brighter, and brighter.

She got the results she wanted, her chakra covered area, revealed Oda. Even inside the jutsu Izanagi, she saw him going straight for her. She readied her blade, pushing her chakra to make him become visible to most sighted mind eyes. Her dragon caught the meaning, slowly gathering fire into it's mouth.

_"__Die you fu_cking whore!" Oda screamed, launching an arrow. The red dragon blew it's fire across it's field of vision, many of the guards had already laid down sealed tags. So they'd been safe, but Oda, in his heat-of-the-moment planning. Did not think about a dragon, he only thought about the objective.

Edona, managed to avoid a fatal blow, but the arrow caught her shoulder. Forcing her to drop her sword, which clattered to the ground. Her angelic features of the white chakra slowly faded away, "damn it..." She said, kneeling down. Biting down on her lower set of teeth as she broke the arrow, and pulled it out.

**"****Edona, are you okay?" **

"I'm fine Ryuzen, but I think I'll need to see a medic soon. He actually got me.

**"****Shall I check to see if he's no longer a problem?" **

"Yes..."

The dragon lowered it's head at the burnt body of Oda, sniffing it. **"Miss Edona, the chakra from the body is different than the arrow, keep alert!" **Edona shot straight up, several of her guards came around her once more. She looked at each one of them, then she looked towards the arrow.

It slowly shifted, slowly coming back together, slowly growing into a humanoid. There Oda stood, clapping, but that's not all he had. He had the Totaka blade in his hand, and her necklace. "I see...so your not here just for me, are you?" Edona mused, feeling the now none existent necklace.

"Oh yes, some powerful ruler you are, your father would be displeased."

"Don't you ever talk about him that way, you traitor."

"Oh, why not, after all...I was the one to shoot the arrow in his chest."

_"__Wait...something isn't right, he never was even near my father on that day...I need to confirm this. _Where was he shot?" Edona asked, all but the air moved around them now. The tension was shattering. Oda smugly replied.

"I shot him in his left lung, through his spinal column, death was instant." That's when Edona laughed, before she slowly got up. She watched as her guards looked at her funny, until she finally answered the reason.

"Your not really Oda, well not anymore, your a puppet carcass. A body controlled like a puppet, through chakra threads, that would explain your 'no fear attacks' on my men, and I. Your not really Oda, and your gods damn well not alive!" 'Oda' glared at her, his normal eyes also transformed to Sharingan.

"So...you figured it out, I must admit...I was wrong." Edona glared hard into the area as two warped spaces of air slowly formed, a man wearing a orange mask came through. Then a woman with long flowing brown hair did as well.

"I am also quite stunned, I assumed that Lady Edona was a weakling, being raised as a highbred...whore...since birth. But, I stand corrected, so I think I'll let my boss offer you a business proposal." The smug woman said, her eyes glared hard at the Empress.

"State it..." She said with a growl, the masked man walked slowly towards a torn map. On it was the elemental nations, and all their leaders names. The man pointed directly at Konoha, and smiled under his mask.

"Tell me, Urakami, where I may find a rare Uzumaki." Edona shrugged, the man just nodded solemnly, he then turned towards his puppet, before he slowly made it disappear. Edona, and her guard were immediately on a state of high alert. The man simply motioned for them to calm.

"I no longer aim to kill you...so relax Edona Urakami. Your more than safe at this moment, for I merely wish to talk without my creation being here." The masked man said, Edona let down her guard. Before starting her own question, the one most important of all.

"Are you Madara Uchiha?" She questioned, and demanded an answer. The man looked at her nodding, before he turned back to the map. He had a chuckle when he saw the Sun country on it, all the way on top. The very north of the continent.

"Do you want the world to burn?" She asked, the man looked at her. She could now see his smile under his mask. It was strange, almost sage like, yet dark. She quivered a little bit at the uneasy feeling, as if he was flaring up his chakra. But, he wasn't.

"I have inkling that in the end, you will all decide yourself. But, no...I want the world to live. Enlightened. Away from petty war, where all are equal, all shall obey one voice. One whisper. No longer any death, no pointless conflict, where the innocent suffer." The man named Madara spoke with conviction.

Mizuma, had been slightly healed, stumbled by Edona's side. He had his very own question to ask, and he made it very clear of the intent. "Why does the woman by you, now like Oda, smell like the grave?" He questioned, Madara merely turned to the brown haired beauty.

"I'll never tell, but maybe...I freed her mind like Oda." Edona had the look of disgust adorn her face, she stood there as the man slowly took some of her hair into his hand. He then proceeded to slowly back away, and then focus back on the map.

"I grow tired of wasting precious time, a small war is once again soon to bloom. In the country that never stops raining. So, if you have anymore questions, I'll be taking the sacred items." The man stated, but before he could move. He felt a fist slam into his mask, it sent him into the wall. The woman was going to move, but a blue flame covered fist slammed into her.

Sending on a collision course with the same wall, out of the corner of her eye. Edona began to smile, "Well it seems Kumo, and Suna arrive first." the guards all stood around her as the two newcomers stood up.

One had a black jonin outfit, and wore monk beads on her wrist. The other had flaming red eyes, wearing the traditional Suna garb, and had staff in his hands. "So Yugito Nii, and Sunarashi Honoo. Glad of you to finally arrive on such short notice."

The two of the others looked back at the Empress, "Sorry we're late, got caught up by the guards. Anyway, whose the idiot we plowed into the wa-where did he go?" Everyone looked to the point of impact, and saw no body. Not even an article of clothing. Sunarashi closed his eyes for a moment, before snapping to him open.

They started to form black rings around them; he slowly brought his hands up. Fine dust began to rise from the floor, but he did not get the results of a human form. Instead, nothing, like they were just ghosts. However, the next thing that caught his eye was little tiny slits in the air. As if it was…paper thin, "Down!"

No sooner than he yelled the order, Mizuma pushed the Empress to the ground, and lay on top of her. The explosive tags, hidden by the binding of light, exploded with great force.


End file.
